By Adam Brown – @AdamMNViIt’s down to Neil Critchley and the U23s to get the job done against Villa as Liverpool prepare to play two games within 24 hours. First up is the League Cup quarter-final.The odds are stacked against the young side, but there’s an opportunity for players to show why they deserve to be given more opportunities with the first team. As long as the players give a good impression, Liverpool fans will be happy regardless of the result.Curtis Jones and Nico Williams were two who seemed set to be key figures in this one, but their inclusion in the first flight to Doha indicates Klopp intends to use both youngsters for the Club World Cup games.
How should Liverpool line up?Credit must go to The Redmen TV’s Academy for their help with this one; they’ve been excellent with their insights into the Reds U23s. If you’re looking for anything Liverpool academy related, @RedmenAcademy on Twitter is the place go for all news, updates and live coverage.Goalkeeping duties are left to Caoimhin Kelleher with Alisson and Adrian in Qatar.More opportunities are provided to the likes of Larouci, Van den Berg and Hoever who should all start tomorrow. Liverpool’s summer signing will be looking to impress after his display against Arsenal earlier in the competition.It will be interesting to see how Ki-Jana Hoever handles the game. The Dutch defender has been impressive in previous spells with the first team and looks to be someone who Jurgen Klopp believes can develop into a key player for the Reds.Pedro Chirivella will be Liverpool’s most senior player on Tuesday night. The Spanish midfielder should anchor the midfield behind Herbie Kane and Christie-Davies.The Reds will look to Harvey Elliott and Rhian Brewster to produce in the final third in a game where Liverpool may struggle to create opportunities against an expected strong Aston Villa XI.There are players in this side who can make an impact, but without the likes of Curtis Jones and Nico Williams, the task becomes much greater. Injury problems have stretched the Liverpool squad, and with a semi-final place on the line, Villa won’t be resting many players.Enjoy the experience and learn from it. It’s not often for any young player to test themselves against Premier League opposition; play without fear.Score prediction: Aston Villa 3 – 2 LiverpoolBy Adam Brown – @AdamMNViHow does Chris think Neil Critchley will select the team? Check out the Starting XI Prediction Show below.