Kostas Tsimikas handed Liverpool captaincy for LASK Champions League clash

Tsimikas gets the armband as Van Dijk drops to the bench

Kostas Tsimikas will captain Liverpool for the first time as the Reds play Austrian side LASK in the Champions League on Tuesday. The Greek left-back, who scored the winning penalty in the 2022 FA Cup final but spent last season out on loan with Roma, wears the armband with Virgil van Dijk on the bench.

Alisson cannot wear the armband

Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola confirmed before the season that he had named Alisson Becker his vice-captain following the departures of Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson. However, Iraola explained that the goalkeeper would never actually wear the armband on the pitch due to rules that mean only the captains can talk to the referee.

"I explained to Alisson especially that it's not going to be possible that he wears the armband because with the new rule I think there is a big limitation if a keeper wears the armband," Iraola said in August.

"Because if something happens in the opposition box the referee has to explain to the captains what's happening, all the decisions," he added.

Iraola pointed to his experience at Bournemouth, where he had one season with goalkeeper Neto as captain. "And then you have to start every game to say a different player that can act as a captain, and this is not viable," he said.

"But I wanted him to feel like we value him," Iraola said. "Unfortunately, they are putting the rules in a way that there is a lot of disadvantages to having a keeper as a captain."

Other vice-captains

Iraola had also named Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez as vice-captains before the season. Gomez is on the bench for the LASK game, while Szoboszlai remains injured. Tsimikas wore the armband in pre-season, taking the captaincy from Gomez after the defender was forced off with an injury in the game against Sunderland.

Liverpool team to face LASK

Liverpool XI: Alisson, Frimpong, Jacquet, Araujo, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Nyoni; Ngumoha, Wirtz, Barcola; Koumas. Substitutes: Mamardashvili, Woodman, Gomez, Van Dijk, Kerkez, Mac Allister, Munoz, Chambers, McConnell, Danns, Sonni-Lambie, Lucky.