Arne Slot has not held his regular pre-match press conference ahead of Southampton‘s visit in the Carabao Cup, with a Liverpool contingent on their way to Paris.Liverpool host Will Still’s Southampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening, with the Championship side arriving after a ‘humiliating’ defeat over the weekend.As is customary, Slot, or even assistant Giovanni van Bronckhorst, was expected to front the media at the AXA Training Centre on Monday to preview the cup clash.But no pre-match press conference took place, with the Athletic’s James Pearce stating that a Liverpool contingent are instead en route to Paris for the Ballon d’Or ceremony.The club have four players on the 30-man shortlist: Virgil van Dijk, Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz and Mohamed Salah, who is among the favourites for the award.• READ: LFC lineup options vs. Southampton – 11 changes & right-wing decisionAlisson, meanwhile, is up for the Yashin Trophy for goalkeepers, Slot is among the nominees for Coach of the Year, and Liverpool is one of the five nominees for Men’s Club of the Year.With the ceremony in Paris not starting until 8pm (BST), there was certainly enough time for Slot, or a member of Liverpool’s coaching staff, to talk to the media earlier in the day before making the trip to France.The Carabao Cup, however, does not stipulate that a pre-match press conference is mandatory in its competition rules.Instead, it is only asked that at least one player and the manager is available for interviews with the broadcaster should it be selected as a live match, which is Sky Sports for those in the UK. • READ: Mo Salah is not favourite for the Ballon d’Or – and here is whyOusmane Dembele is widely tipped as the favourite for the Ballon d’Or after 35 goals and 16 assists for PSG on their way to a league and Champions League double.A contingent from the French side will not be present as they face Marseille, but Dembele can attend the ceremony due to injury.Barcelona‘s Lamine Yamal also has his admirers, though many will argue he was not even the Spanish club’s best player last season, and, of course, there is Liverpool’s Salah.The Egyptian scored 34 goals and set up a further 23 across all competitions in a season that saw him lead Liverpool to the Premier League title in Slot’s debut season.Liverpool’s failure to win the Champions League may ultimately work against him, however, as he seeks to surpass his best-ever finish (fifth: 2019 and 2022).Michael Owen remains the only Reds player to win the Ballon d’Or, awarded in 2001, though Van Dijk finished runner-up to Lionel Messi in 2019.2025 Ballon d’Or nominees: Jude Bellingham, Ousmane Dembele, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Desire Doue, Denzel Dumfries, Serhou Guirassy, Viktor Gyokeres, Erling Haaland, Achraf Hakimi, Harry Kane, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Robert Lewandowski, Alexis Mac Allister, Lautaro Martinez, Kylian Mbappe, Scott McTominay, Nuno Mendes, Joao Neves, Michael Olise, Cole Palmer, Pedri, Raphinha, Declan Rice, Fabian Ruiz, Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Vinicius Jr, Vitinha, Florian Wirtz, Lamine Yamal