Federico Chiesa starts as key Liverpool players benched for Brighton

Arne Slot has named his XI for the clash with Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League

Federico Chiesa makes his first Premier League start for Liverpool as Virgil van Dijk drops to the bench at Brighton & Hove Albion.

Chiesa hasn't featured from the start for the Reds in the league since joining from Juventus in August of last year, but after Arne Slot talked up the Italian featuring in his long-term plans next term on Friday and the former Juve man now leads the line at the Amex Stadium.

At the back, Kostas Tsimikas replaces Andy Robertson on the left as Jarell Quansah steps in for captain Van Dijk alongside Ibrahima Konate. Trent Alexander-Arnold is included in the match-day squad but is only part of the substitutes' bench.

In midfield, Harvey Elliott is named as the most advanced midfielder with Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai entrusted to patrol behind the 22-year-old, who starts only his second Premier League game this term.

Joe Gomez returns to a match-day squad for the first time in the league since December, with the versatile defender potentially set for his first minutes since the FA Cup exit to Plymouth Argyle in February, when he lasted 11 minutes before suffering a recurrence of a hamstring injury.

Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister have been given the night off by Slot ahead of Sunday's visit from Crystal Palace.

Liverpool: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Quansah, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Elliott, Gakpo; Chiesa

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Endo, Van Dijk, Diaz, Nunez, Jones, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold.