Liverpool starter Trey Nyoni, 17, will reportedly make his full debut for the Reds in their EFL Cup tie against Southampton, while Arne Slot will turn to the youth side for the quarter-final.
The Anfield side are performing high on all fronts, leading the Premier League with a game in hand as they move to the top of the Champions League stage thanks to six wins out of six.
And despite a 2-2 draw at home to Fulham on Saturday, Liverpool showed they are not struggling under the weight of a full schedule, twice coming from behind with 10 men, including in the 86th minute.
As they race into the busy Christmas period, Slot will be aware that he will have to shuffle the pack to keep his stars fit, especially in competitions such as the EFL Cup.
His predecessor Jurgen Klopp did just that in last year's final, finishing the match with a team that had an average age of just 24 years and 172 days.
Now Slot looks set to follow in the German's footsteps and make similar selection choices for tonight's quarter-final in Southampton, The Times reports.
Talented midfielder Nyoni, then 16, was an unused substitute for the February match, in which Liverpool came out on top on penalties, but is likely to be a starter against St Mary's.
Slot said earlier this campaign: 'We take good care of him and are aware of him. He's only just turned 17 and that's probably why people see him as such a talent, because he's already shown some interesting things at his age.
'I think what you say is true: he is a young player, very young, but with a lot of talent. He had some impact in pre-season and when he played against Sevilla he even scored a goal.
“So having a talent, but just being a talent, is not enough to play regularly for the first team, so we have to keep developing him. He needs playing time to develop and that's why as a manager you sometimes have the feeling: “We may need him in the first team, but it's so important that he keeps playing his games.”
'By training with all the midfielders and players we have, he can also develop.'
The team of young players that came up against Mauricio Pochettino's Blues enjoyed mixed fortunes in the ten months that followed, with only Jarrell Quansah expected to start against Southampton.
Jayden Danns and James McConnell have returned to action after injuries, while the highly rated Connor Bradley is currently watching from the sidelines with a punch of his own.
Lewis Koumas is on loan at Stoke City, while Bobby Clark has moved to Red Bull Salzburg.
Nyoni moved from Leicester City in September last year and has already attracted attention at Liverpool for his ability to carry the ball.
He made a substitute appearance in an FA Cup tie with Southampton shortly after the EFL Cup final and also featured in the final round of the tournament against Brighton this year.
Slot is facing a series of selection issues ahead of tonight's match, with just four first-team defenders available for the game following Andy Robertson's red card against Fulham last weekend.
Wataru Endo, Tyler Morton and Harvey Elliott are all expected to be in the starting line-up, while left back James Norris (21) and centre-back Amara Nallo (18) could be in line for rare appearances.
Liverpool then travel to Totteham in the Premier League on Sunday before hosting Leicester on Boxing Day.
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