It’s an all-Premier League affair at Anfield on Wednesday night when Liverpool host Fulham in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.
Jurgen Klopp’s side will fight on four fronts during the second half of 2023/24 and this competition is an excellent chance to win some silverware before the run-in. Liverpool are the current favourites to win the Carabao Cup.
However, Fulham gave the Reds a scare on their last visit to Anfield as they took a 3-2 lead into the closing stages before the hosts staged a dramatic late turnaround.
After suffering three straight defeats over the Christmas period, Fulham have won back-to-back games and, like Liverpool, were able to progress into the FA Cup fourth round over the weekend.
Here’s 90min’s preview Wednesday’s semi-final first leg.
Liverpool vs Fulham H2H Record (Last Five Games)
Current Form (Last Five Games)
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Country |
TV channel/live stream |
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United Kingdom |
Sky Ultra HD, Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, SKY GO Extra |
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United States |
ESPN+ |
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Canada |
DAZN |
Virgil van Dijk missed Sunday’s FA Cup win at Arsenal through illness but the defender is expected to return to the starting lineup in midweek. Young Jarell Quansah could drop out of the team.
Left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimkas remain out of action, so Joe Gomez will continue in the team.
Klopp previously ruled Dominik Szoboszlai out of the Arsenal trip and this game with a hamstring problem, while Stefan Bajectic, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip and Ben Doak are also sidelined.
Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo are away on international duty.
Liverpool predicted lineup vs Fulham (4-3-3): Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Elliott, Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Diaz, Gakpo, Jota.
Marco Silva has no fresh injury concerns from Friday’s victory over Rotherham, although both Adama Traore and Tim Ream were absent and neither player is expected to return at Anfield.
Raul Jimenez, Joao Palhinha, Willian and Tom Cairney are among those that will return to the starting lineup on Wednesday night.
Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey are both with the Nigeria squad at AFCON.
Fulham predicted lineup vs Arsenal (4-2-3-1): Leno; Castagne, Tosin, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Cairney; De Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez.
Despite only recently suffering three successive losses, Silva’s Fulham have been very impressive this season given their summer losses and a resurgent Raul Jimenez has been crucial to their success.
The Mexican gives the visitors a chance against the Premier League table-toppers over two legs, as does the ball-winning machine that is Joao Palhinha.
However, Liverpool have shown as of late that they don’t need to be at their absolute to triumph. They haven’t tasted defeat domestically since September and although Fulham came close to ending their winning run at Anfield in December, it’s hard to envisage the visitors getting over the line on Wednesday.
Prediction: Liverpool 3-1 Fulham
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90Mins
