Carabao Cup: Liverpool vs Fulham Live
Preview
After both winning their recent FA Cup third-round matches, Liverpool and Fulham are aiming to secure another victory in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday. Liverpool, who secured a surprise 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup, will host Fulham at Anfield, while Fulham, led by Marco Silva, also advanced to round four with a 1-0 victory over Rotherham United.
Following West Ham United’s example, who endured nearly 90 minutes of pressure at the Emirates Stadium before securing a 2-0 victory, the reds also capitalized on Arsenal’s wastefulness to secure a win. Despite missing key players like Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, the reds managed to punish Arsenal for their missed opportunities, with an own goal from Jakub Kiwior and a late strike from Luis Diaz.
This victory has put Klopp’s men in contention for multiple honors, including the Premier League and Europa League titles, as they also advance to the EFL Cup semi-finals for the 19th time. Despite their recent unbeaten run, Liverpool has not kept a clean sheet in their recent matches, and their last EFL Cup loss at Anfield was against Arsenal in 2020.
Rotherham, a struggling team in the Championship, was not expected to pose a significant challenge to Silva’s men in the FA Cup. Despite fielding a strong starting lineup, the cottagers only managed to secure a narrow 1-0 victory in West London, with Bobby Decordova-Reid scoring the decisive goal. Marco Silva’s team now has the opportunity to put themselves in a good position to advance to their first-ever EFL Cup final with a surprise win at Anfield as this upcoming match will mark Fulham’s first appearance in the semi-finals of the competition.
Their previous best performances were quarter-final exits in 1968, 1971, 2001, and 2005. Fulham has already achieved success against Everton in this year’s tournament, and they have eliminated Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, and Ipswich Town in earlier rounds. However, it has been nearly a decade since a first-time semi-finalist has progressed to the final match.
Head-to-head
Liverpool emerged victorious in a high-scoring match against Fulham in the Premier League, winning 4-3 at Anfield just over a month ago. In their last 26 home games against Fulham, Liverpool have recorded 18 wins, 6 draws, and 2 losses.
Prediction
After benefiting from an extra two days of rest following their FA Cup efforts, Fulham are well-equipped to challenge Liverpool’s defense, which may still be recovering from their recent match against Arsenal. The return of Van Dijk is expected to greatly improve Liverpool’s defensive capabilities. Despite Fulham’s previous success in attacking at Anfield this season, Liverpool’s offensive prowess, even without Salah, is likely to give them a slight edge over Fulham, who are without two key center-backs.
