23 hours ago
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Calvin Ramsay and Trey Nyoni could both be in the Liverpool squad against Aston Villa after both players were absent for the Reds Under-21 side against Middlesbrough earlier today.
Nyoni is further along in his development than Ramsay, so does not always figure for Rob Page's side anyway, but Ramsay is a regular for the Under-21s.
Ramsay's inclusion against Villa would make sense given fellow right-back Jeremie Frimpong will miss the game due to injury. Ramsay lined up in the League Cup loss to Crystal Palace in midweek and earned praise for his performance from Liverpool head coach Arne Slot.
“Calvin had a very decent performance,” said Slot. “He was calm on the ball. In the first half-hour, I actually think we had better chances than them, and he was part of that. He played with composure — a decent-to-good game for him.”
Nyoni also played in the loss to Palace, and there could be space for him in the squad against Villa due to the amount of injuries in Slot's squad.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch could return to the squad, but Curtis Jones will almost certainly miss the game. Elsewhere on the field, Alisson and Giovanni Leoni are out, while Alexander Isak will almost certainly miss out too.
Liverpool is looking to bounce back from a run of six defeats in seven games, and in his program notes ahead of the game, Slot acknowledged how difficult it will be to get a result against the league's most in-form team.
“After a difficult start to the season, Villa’s form has had a big turnaround in recent weeks and they have had some really impressive results – including a victory over Manchester City last week – so we should expect to face a team which has quality and belief," Slot wrote.
“They are also an example of how quickly fortunes can change as long as everyone continues to believe and commitment does not diminish. As I said earlier, these basics are key for us, not just tonight but also in the days and weeks to come.
“Coming up we have a week in which we will face three big challenges, starting with tonight’s, but we have shown many times that we can rise to the occasion.
“This is what we will be looking to do once again and as always we will be trying to do it together with our supporters.”
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