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Southampton could exploit a Carabao Cup rule change when it faces Liverpool on Tuesday night. The Reds, hosting the Saints in the third round of the competition, are set to see a significant squad rotation, as confirmed by Arne Slot.
The Dutch manager has already disclosed that key players such as Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai will not be participating against Will Still's team. Consequently, players like Giovanni Leoni, Federico Chiesa, Wataru Endo, Joe Gomez and Rio Ngumoha may all get their chance against the Saints.
Coming off a 3-1 loss to Hull City in their last match, Southampton enters the tie under different circumstances than before. Under previous EFL rules, Still would have been required to make at least one alteration to his starting XI against Liverpool.
Tom Fellows, who joined the Saints from West Bromwich Albion at the end of August, has made two appearances so far for the South Coast club. Before his transfer, he had played four times for the Baggies this season, including in their Carabao Cup first-round tie against Derby County.
Previously, the midfielder would have been cup-tied and ineligible to play against Liverpool due to his participation with West Brom in the competition. However, a revision in EFL rules means that Fellows is now eligible to take to the pitch at Anfield.
According to Rule 6.4, a registered player is allowed to play for up to two clubs in the competition if they meet any of the following criteria:.
A player who has played for his parent club in the competition before the end of the summer transfer window and then moved to a different club on loan or permanent transfer before that window closed.
A player who has appeared for his parent club in the competition prior to the closure of the winter transfer window or the first leg of the semi-final, and then moved to another club on a loan or permanent transfer before the winter transfer window closed or the first leg of the semi-final took place.
Such a player can move as an emergency goalkeeper loan at any point during the season.
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With Liverpool entering the competition at the third round stage and Alexander Isak being their only new signing since the Carabao Cup began, they have no players who would have been at risk of being cup-tied under the old rules.
However, with the change in regulations, it means that if the Reds make it to at least the semi-finals for a third consecutive season, any January signings would be eligible to play for Liverpool in the later stages of the competition, provided they hadn't played for one of the other semi-finalists in the first leg of the final four.
So, in theory, if the Reds were to reignite their interest in Marc Guehi in January, he could still be eligible to play for Liverpool in the semi-finals and final due to this rule change, despite having already represented Crystal Palace in this season's competition.
However, it's important to note that while Liverpool's interest in the defender remains, they are currently unlikely to make a move for Guehi in January as the player will be available on a free transfer at the end of the season.
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