Liverpool will travel to Fulham for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, looking to book their place in the final.
Liverpool managed to win the first leg 2-1, and they will be the favourites to grind out a positive result against Fulham at Craven Cottage on Wednesday. The Reds are impressive form right now, and they are coming into this game on the back of five consecutive victories across all competitions.
Meanwhile, Fulham have been quite inconsistent, and they have lost four of their last six matches across all competitions. In addition, the West London club have a poor head to head record against Liverpool as well, and they have picked up just one win from their last six meetings against the Reds.
Team News & Tactics
Fulham
Adama Traore is the only injury worry for Fulham against Liverpool this midweek. However, they will be without Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Fode Ballo-Toure because of their involvement in Africa Cup of Nations.
Fulham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Bernd Leno in goal. Timothy Castagne and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs. They will look to help out during counter-attacks and protect the central defenders. Tosin Adarabioyo will start alongside Issa Diop at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Joao Palhinha will start alongside Harrison Reed in the double pivot. The two players will look to win the ball back for their side and break up the Liverpool attacks.
Andreas Pereira will start in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Willian and Bobby De Cordova-Reid will add creativity and flair from the wide areas. Finally, Raul Jimenez will lead the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Reid, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez
Liverpool
Liverpool have an extended injury list heading into this contest. Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara remain long-term absentees. Kostas Tsimikas and Ben Doak are unlikely to return anytime soon.
Andrew Robertson is likely to be a part of the squad along with Curtis Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai. Wataru Endo is away on international duty for the AFC Asian Cup, and Mohamed Salah is sidelined with an injury while on AFCON duty.
Liverpool will shape up in their usual 4-3-3 formation, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Conor Bradley and Joe Gomez will start as the full-backs and they will look to keep things compact on the flanks and help out in the attack. Ibrahima Konate will start alongside Virgil van Dijk in the central defensive pairing.
Alexis Mac Allister will feature in the anchor role, and he will look to protect the defenders and break up opposition attacks. Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch will add creativity and control to the side alongside him. Finally, Cody Gakpo is expected to lead the line for Liverpool against Fulham, with Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Jones, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Jota, Gakpo, Nunez
Key Stats
- Liverpool have won their last five matches across all competitions.
- Fulham have lost four of their last six matches across all competitions.
- Liverpool are unbeaten in five of the last six matches against Fulham.
- 18 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two teams.
Player to Watch
Diogo Jota
The Portuguese international is in phenomenal form right now and he has picked up five goals and four assists in his last nine appearances for Liverpool. The 27-year-old has stepped up in the absence of Mohamed Salah, and Liverpool will look to him for creativity and goals. He is our key player to watch out for, and the Reds will need him to step up and deliver once again.
Prediction
Fulham 1-2 Liverpool
Fulham will be desperate to turn things around and grind out a win here. The Cottagers will be looking to book their place in the finals of the EFL Cup, and they will have to produce a highly impressive performance here to over return the deficit and win the game.
There is no doubt that they have the quality. But Liverpool are a team in form and full of confidence right now. The Reds have enough quality to grind out a result here, and they should be able to book their place in the finals with a narrow victory away from home.
