Best odds: 39/25
Bookmaker:
Having secured victories in their recent FA Cup third-round matches, both Liverpool and Fulham are aiming to continue their winning momentum by claiming another victory in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal clash on Wednesday evening at Anfield.
Liverpool enter the fixture following a decisive 2-0 victory over Arsenal in the FA Cup, while Marco Silva s Fulham secured a 1-0 win over Rotherham United to progress to the fourth round of the same competition.
Liverpool
In a fashion reminiscent of West Ham, who absorbed substantial pressure at the Emirates Stadium before securing a 2-0 victory, Liverpool became the latest beneficiaries of Arsenal s inefficiency, clinching a relatively surprising victory on Sunday evening to advance to the FA Cup s fourth round.
Facing the absence of Virgil van Dijk due to illness and with Mohamed Salah gearing up for the Africa Cup of Nations, Liverpool faced a challenging first half where they narrowly escaped conceding on several occasions. Despite Arsenal s repeated attempts to breach the wall called Alisson Becker, Liverpool capitalized on their hosts shortcomings, benefiting from a Jakub Kiwior own goal and a late Luis Diaz strike.
Returning from North London in triumph, Liverpool continue their pursuit of a quadruple of honors, with the Premier League and Europa League titles in their sights as well. As they gear up for their 19th appearance in the League Cup semifinals, the Merseysiders have eliminated Leicester City, Bournemouth, and West Ham to reach this stage, albeit without securing a clean sheet in any of those fixtures. Notably, Liverpool have never suffered defeat in their previous eight home semifinal first-leg encounters.
The recent victory against Arsenal extended Liverpool s undefeated streak to six matches across all competitions, and they have remained unbeaten in 23 consecutive competitive games at Anfield. However, their most recent EFL Cup defeat at home occurred against Arsenal in 2020.
Team News
Manager Jurgen Klopp has expressed hope that Van Dijk would recover in time to captain the team in this match.
However, Klopp has already confirmed that Dominik Szoboszlai will be unavailable for the contest due to a hamstring injury. Additionally, Andrew Robertson (shoulder), Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone), Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Thiago Alcantara (hip), Ben Doak (knee), and Joel Matip (ACL) are not yet ready to return from their respective injuries.
Furthermore, Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo, representing Egypt and Japan, respectively, will be absent for both legs of the semi-final due to their commitments in continental competitions. Given the limited options available for changes, Ryan Gravenberch and Diogo Jota might be potential selections to infuse some freshness into the starting XI for the hosts, both having entered the Arsenal game from the bench in the second half.
Another piece of bad news has come from Anfield, with assistant manager Pep Lijnders revealing Trent Alexander-Arnold has suffered a knee injury set to keep him out for a few weeks . This could mean a chance for young Conor Bradley to stake a claim for a more regular spot in the first-team squad after his excellent cameo against Arsenal.
Fulham
Klopp and his counterpart Silva share a common ground in their victories over Arsenal, who suffered a 2-1 loss to Fulham on New Year s Eve before the latter secured consecutive victories on Friday evening.
Fulham s encounter with Championship strugglers Rotherham in the FA Cup was anticipated as a less challenging test, especially with Silva fielding a strong starting lineup. Despite this, only one goal separated the sides in West London, with Bobby Decordova-Reid, the scorer of the winner against Arsenal, finding the net after 24 minutes.
As Fulham seek progress in the FA Cup, their immediate focus is on their first-ever semifinal appearance in the Carabao Cup against Liverpool at Anfield. Fulham s historical best in this competition includes quarterfinal exits in 1968, 1971, 2001, and 2005. A shock victory at Anfield would obviously take them closer to the trophy than they ve ever been.
Fulham s journey in this year s tournament has seen victories against Everton on penalties in the last eight, following eliminations of Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, and Ipswich Town in earlier rounds. However, it s been nearly a decade since a first-time semifinalist progressed to the final in the Carabao Cup.
Should Fulham overcome the odds in their two-legged tie against Liverpool, they will face either Middlesbrough or West London rivals Chelsea in the final. Notably, Fulham have a recent history of unsuccessful encounters with Liverpool, losing all five of their previous matches, including a 4-3 Premier League thriller at Anfield just a month ago.
Team News
Fulham s squad has been impacted by AFCON call-ups as well, with Nigerian players Calvin Bassey and Alex Iwobi joining their national team, along with Senegal s Fode Ballo-Toure.
Following the match against Rotherham, no fresh injury concerns emerged, but Adama Traore (thigh) and Tim Ream (calf) were absent and are unlikely to return for Wednesday s game. However, there s a possibility for both players to contend for selection in the second leg on January 24.
Bernd Leno, Joao Palhinha, and Raul Jimenez, key figures rested for the Rotherham clash, are expected to return to Silva s starting lineup. Additionally, former Liverpool player Harry Wilson, who has contributed one goal and one assist in this season s edition of the cup, is likely to resume his role in the attacking lineup.
Conclusion
Benefiting from two extra days of rest following their FA Cup involvement, Fulham possess the capability to pose a challenge to Liverpool s defence, which might not be fully recovered from their recent encounter with Arsenal. The anticipated return of Van Dijk, however, is expected to bolster the defensive capabilities of the Reds.
Under Silva s guidance, Fulham have previously demonstrated their attacking prowess at Anfield this season.
But despite the absence of Salah, Liverpool still retain sufficient attacking expertise to potentially secure a slight edge over Fulham, especially considering the absence of two crucial center-backs within the Fulham squad.
Verdict: Home win and both teams to score
Best odds: 39/25
Bookmaker:
