Liverpool will host West Ham United in the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup on Wednesday, looking to book their place in the semi-finals of the competition.
Liverpool are coming into the EFL Cup quarter-finals against West Ham United on the back of two disappointing performances. They failed to beat Union Saint-Gillois and Manchester United in their last two outings. So, the home fans will be expecting a strong reaction from the players here.
Meanwhile, West Ham United are in impressive form right now, and they have picked up two comprehensive wins in their last couple of matches after a thrashing against Fulham. David Moyes will want his men to pull off an upset at Anfield, and it remains to be seen whether the Hammers can book their place in the next round of the competition.
West Ham have shown that they can grind out results in the cup competition and this will be an interesting encounter. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Liverpool
Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Andrew Robertson are long-term absentees for Liverpool. Other than that, the Reds will be without Alexis Mac Allister, who picked up a knee injury against Crystal Palace and will return to action next month.
Diogo Jota is still nursing an injury he picked up against Manchester City, and he is unlikely to be risked here. Liverpool are likely to make some changes to the starting lineup against Manchester United.
Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal, behind a back four of Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Jarell Quansah and Kostas Tsimikas. Gomez and Tsimikas will look to help out in the attack as well.
In the midfield, Wataru Endo will start as the defensive midfielder. The Japanese international will look to break up opposition attacks and win the ball back for his side. Harvey Elliott and Curtis Jones are likely to start here, and the two players will look to add creativity and control to the side.
Darwin Nunez put on a disappointing display against Manchester United, and Cody Gakpo is likely to lead the line for Liverpool against West Ham United. Mohamed Salah will continue on the right and he will shoulder the creative and goalscoring responsibility as his teammates continue to misfire in front of goal. Luiz Diaz will start on the left.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Gomez, Konate, Quansah, Tsimikas; Elliott, Endo, Jones; Salah, Gakpo, Diaz
West Ham United
The Hammers will be without Michail Antonio, who is expected to return from his injury later this month. Other than that, David Moyes will a fully-fit squad to choose from against Liverpool on Wednesday.
West Ham will line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Lukasz Fabianski in goal. Thilo Kehrer and Ben Johnson will start as the full-backs, and they will look to keep Mohamed Salah and Luiz Diaz quiet. Konstantinos Mavropanos and Nayef Aguerd will start at the heart of the defence.
The midfield double pivot pretty much picks itself, with Tomas Soucek starting alongside Edson Alvarez. The two players will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the midfield.
James Ward-Prowse will start as the central attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third. Jarrod Bowen should feature on the right wing with Said Benrahma on the left. Finally, Mohammed Kudus will lead the line for West Ham against Liverpool.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Kehrer, Mavropanos, Aguerd, Johnson; Soucek, Alvarez; Bowen, Ward-Prowse, Benrahma; Kudus
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won their last seven home matches against West Ham United in all competitions.
- Liverpool have scored at least two goals in 12 of their last 15 matches against West Ham in all competitions.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last three meetings between these two sides.
- Both teams have scored in four of the last six meetings between these two sides.
- West Ham have kept two consecutive clean sheets heading into this game.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool have been overly dependent on Mohamed Salah for goals and creativity this season. Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz have failed to find the back of the net consistently in the last few weeks, and the Egyptian is our key man to watch out for.
He has done well against the Hammers in the past and will look to add to his goal tally for the season. Salah has 14 goals and seven assists to his name across all competitions, and Liverpool will need him to step up in order to go through to the next round.
Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United
The Hammers are a team in form, and they will make life difficult for the home side. Although Liverpool are formidable at home, a second-string side against West Ham could find it difficult here. However, Liverpool have the option to change the game from the bench, and they are likely to edge this contest in the end. A narrow 2-1 home win is on the cards.
