Liverpool get their 2020-21 EFL Cup campaign underway on Thursday night with a trip to face League One side Lincoln City at the LNER Stadium.

The Reds have won two from two at the start of their Premier League title defence, including a dominant 2-0 triumph over 10-man Chelsea on Sunday.

However, they are expected to be heavily changed for this match against a Lincoln side who are also perfect so far this term, winning all five of their competitive outings.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Jurgen Klopp could set his side up for the contest.

Out: Joel Matip (unspecified), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (knee)
Doubtful: Jordan Henderson (quadriceps), Joe Gomez (knee), Xherdan Shaqiri (muscle)

> Click here for Liverpool's latest injury and suspension news ahead of this match

Klopp is likely to make the full 11 changes available to him for this match with a Premier League showdown with Arsenal looming on Monday and a relentless fixture schedule expected throughout the season.

There will still be plenty of familiar names in the Liverpool ranks, though, and there could also be a couple of debuts with summer signings Diogo Jota and Kostas Tsimikas in line for starts.

Jota arrived last week in a deal which could rise to £45m and Thursday's match looks like a good opportunity to ease him into things, while Tsimikas has not yet featured in a competitive game for the club after seeing his preparations disrupted by a positive coronavirus test.

Klopp could also use the game as a chance for some players who have been linked with an exit to prove that they belong at the club; the likes of Marko Grujic, Divock Origi, Rhian Brewster and Harry Wilson would all fit into that category.

Youngsters such as Neco Williams, Curtis Jones, Nat Phillips and Sepp van den Berg are expected to be given a chance to show what they can do, while Adrian is likely to deputise in goal.

James Milner would bring experience to complement that youth, while Thiago Alcantara could feature in some capacity as Klopp looks to familiarise him with a different system to the one he played in at Bayern Munich.

Joe Gomez and Jordan Henderson are only slight injury doubts but are unlikely to be risked in this game, while Joel Matip and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are definitely sidelined.