Liverpool host Southampton as the Reds begin their Carabao Cup campaign with a third round tie at Anfield.Liverpool vs. SouthamptonLeague Cup (third round) | AnfieldSeptember 23, 2025 | 8pm (BST)Due to Liverpool’s participation in the Champions League, Liverpool enter the League Cup at the third round stage and face a struggling Southampton team.The visitors have earned just six points from six games since being relegated from the Premier League, but Liverpool will be fielding a rotated side which could make for an interesting game.Here is all you need to know ahead of Liverpool vs. Southampton. 1. 5 players already confirmed as absent Arne Slot hasn’t held a press conference ahead of Tuesday night’s match, but after beating Everton, he did state five of his usual starters won’t be involved.Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mo Salah won’t play against Southampton, leaving room for youngsters to make a name for themselves.Liverpool U21 boss Rob Page revealed that Rhys Williams, Jayden Danns, Tommy Pilling, Kieran Morrison and Kaide Gordon all trained with the senior team on Sunday ahead of the match.Only Stefan Bajcetic, who might have featured, will miss out through injury as he continues to recover from a hamstring injury. 2. Starting XI predictionSlot will probably make 11 changes, but the Reds should still have a strong side out that could include Alexander Isak, given he didn’t start against Everton.The toughest decision could come on the right wing, as the head coach must decide whether to play Federico Chiesa or Jeremie Frimpong. If the latter is named in an advanced position, it could mean Joe Gomez plays at right-back while Wataru Endo starts alongside Giovanni Leoni at centre-back.Arguably more likely, though, is a midfield three of Curtis Jones, Trey Nyoni and Endo, lining up behind an attack of Chiesa, Isak and Rio Ngumoha.Between the posts, Giorgi Mamardashvili has long been pencilled in to make his debut in this fixture.Predicted XI: Mamardashvili; Frimpong, Gomez, Leoni, Robertson; Endo, Nyoni, Jones; Chiesa, Ngumoha, Isak 3. Southampton’s poor formWill Still’s start to life at Southampton has been a difficult test so far, with the Saints winning their opening match but failing to win in their five league matches since.Their League Cup form, though, has been of some relief, having beaten Northampton 1-0 then knocked out fellow Championship side Norwich 3-0.At the weekend, they lost 3-1 at Hull, after which manager Still said: “We were in control of most of it, but we just didn’t have that cutting edge or didn’t quite believe that we were going to score and get back in the game.” 4. Straight to penaltiesIn the League Cup this season, there will be no extra time until the semi-final stage.This means that if the game is a draw after 90 minutes, the match will go straight to a penalty shootout.Liverpool have actually lost their last two games decided by penalties, though that includes the Community Shield, but they won their previous four.A chance for Mamardashvili to become a hero on his debut? 5. The match is on terrestrial televisionThanks to ITV’s new deal with the EFL, they can broadcast 10 League Cup fixtures each season, and Liverpool’s tie against Southampton has been selected as their third round pick.Their match selection was a good one in the previous round, with Grimsby’s victory over Man United shown for free in the UK. Hopefully, Liverpool can make the night much more straightforward for themselves than Ruben Amorim’s team could!While the match will be on ITV 1, viewers with Sky Sports can also watch on Sky Sports Main Event. 6. When is the fourth round draw?If Liverpool do progress to the next round, they will have to wait until the following night to find out their next opponents.The fourth round draw is scheduled to take place at 10pm on Wednesday, with Liverpool or Southampton to occupy ball 12.The next round’s ties will take place on the week commencing October 27, likely the Tuesday or Wednesday. 7. Remembering Matt BeardFormer Liverpool Women manager Matt Beard, who left the club in February, tragically died on Saturday at the age of just 47.He was a much-loved man at Liverpool, winning two WSL titles, earning promotion back to the top flight and fostering a family environment in the women’s team during his combined six years on Merseyside.A minute of silence is expected to be held before the match in his memory. There will also be tributes in the match programme. 8. Who is the referee?There will be no VAR in place for the match, therefore Thomas Bramall will hold all the responsibility as referee in the middle.His assistants for the game are Simon Bennett and Andrew Dallison, while Lewis Smith takes on fourth official duties.Liverpool supporters have fond memories of Bramall taking charge at Anfield, as the last time he officiated the Reds, they beat Tottenham 5-1 to secure the Premier League title in April. 9. The third round’s other fixturesThe third round actually takes place across two midweeks, due to scheduling clashes for some teams also playing in Europe, meaning Grimsby, Crystal Palace and Brentford have already secured their place in the next round.This Tuesday’s games are: Barnsley vs. Brighton, Burnley vs. Cardiff, Fulham vs. Cambridge, Lincoln vs. Chelsea, Wigan vs. Wycombe, Wolves vs. Everton and Wrexham vs. Reading.On Wednesday, Huddersfield host Man City, Newcastle play Bradford, Port Vale face Arsenal and Tottenham welcome Doncaster Rovers. 10. Follow the match with TIALiverpool vs. Southampton is live on ITV 1 and Sky Sports Main Event with kickoff at 8pm.TIA’s matchday live blog will be up and running from 7.15pm, with Henry Jackson tasked with keeping you entertained and up-to-date.Come on you Reds!