Liverpool will face Bournemouth in the EFL Cup fourth round at the Vitality Stadium, looking to book their place in the quarter-finals.
Liverpool are coming into the game against Bournemouth on the back of three consecutive wins. And they will be reasonably confident of grinding out a positive result at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday.
On the other hand, Bournemouth ended the long losing streak with a 2-1 win over Burnley in the Premier League. The Cherries will now be looking to pull off a morale-boosting result at home against the Merseyside club.
Liverpool have an impressive head-to-head record against the Cherries, and they have won eight of their last nine meetings against tomorrow’s opposition. Liverpool certainly have the better team here and they will be the favourites.
It remains to be seen whether the away side can continue their impressive run of form and extend their phenomenal record against Bournemouth. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
We travel to Bournemouth tomorrow for Carabao Cup action. 🛣️#BOULIV pic.twitter.com/fTajiermj5
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) October 31, 2023
Team News & Tactics
Bournemouth
The home side will be without the services of Emiliano Marcondes, Tyler Adams, Ryan Fredericks, and Neto because of injuries. Lewis Cook is serving the second of his three-match suspension. Bournemouth are likely to shape up in their usual 4-2-3-1 formation, with Andrei Radu in goal.
Adam Smith and Milos Kerkez will start as the full-backs here, and the two players will look to dig deep and help out the central defenders. Illia Zabarnyi will start in central defence alongside Chris Mepham.
In the middle of the park, Joe Rothwell will start alongside Philip Billing. The two players will look to protect the central defenders and create counter-attacking opportunities. Dango Ouattara and Luis Sinisterra will start as the wingers here.
The two players will look to hit Liverpool on the break with their pace and flair. Dominic Solanke will lead the line for the home side, with Antoine Semenyo behind him in the central attacking midfield role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Radu; Adams, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Kerkez; Rothwell, Billing; Ouattara, Semenyo, Sinisterra; Solanke
Liverpool
Liverpool will be the services of Ben Doak, Andrew Robertson, Thiago Alcantara, and Stefan Bajetic because of their respective injuries. Meanwhile, Luis Diaz is unlikely to be involved because of personal reasons.
The Reds are likely to rotate their side for this game, and Caoimhin Kelleher is set to start in goal, with the team lining up in a 4-3-3 formation. Joe Gomez and Luke Chambers are likely to be deployed as the full-backs. Robertson is sidelined with an injury. So, Jurgen Klopp is likely to protect Kostas Tsimikas here. Joel Matip will start in central defence alongside Jarrell Quansah.
Wataru Endo will start as the central defensive midfielder, and he will look to break up the opposition attacks and protect the defensive unit. Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott will add creativity and control alongside him. Darwin Nunez is likely to lead the line for Liverpool here, with Mohamed Salah on the right and Cody Gakpo on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Gomez, Matip, Quansah, Chambers; Elliott, Endo, Jones; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo
Key Stats
- Bournemouth have progressed from their last ten home ties in the EFL Cup.
- Liverpool have been eliminated at the fourth round stage in two of the last three seasons (2020/21 and 2022/23).
- Liverpool have won eight of their last nine matches against Bournemouth in all competitions.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last five matches across all competitions.
- 23 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian international is our key player to watch out for. The 31-year-old has been in phenomenal form for Liverpool in recent weeks, scoring six goals in his last four outings for the Premier League side.
Bournemouth’s defensive vulnerabilities are well known, and Salah has the quality to expose them with his goalscoring ability and creativity in the final third. He will look to break down the opposition defence and get on the score sheet himself as well.
Prediction
Bournemouth 1-2 Liverpool
Despite the fact that Liverpool will rotate their team here, they should have enough quality to grind out a win. Bournemouth are struggling with a lack of confidence and momentum right now. The win over Burnley will certainly give them some positivity heading into this game.
But the gulf in class and the quality in depth between the two sides is immense. Liverpool have plenty of options on the bench to change the game if needed and a narrow 2-1 away win is on the cards for Jurgen Klopp’s men.
Liverpool will score first in the first half and it will be 3-2