LIVERPOOL will be hoping to seal their spot in the Carabao Cup final when they face Fulham on Wednesday night.
The Reds take on the Cottagers in the second leg of the semi-finals after winning 2-1 at Anfield.
Despite losing, Marco Silva’s men performed brilliantly in the reverse fixture.
Willian netted the opener in the match, and the visitors created some great chances to extend their lead.
Jurgen Klopp had to rely on a quick-fire double from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo to grab victory.
The result means that Liverpool only have a one-goal advantage heading into the clash at Craven Cottage.
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
Fulham will aim to put in a similar performance as they aim to reach their first final since 2010, when they were beaten by Atletico Madrid in the Europa League.
The club has never won a major honour despite reaching the semi-finals of the FA Cup six times.
They were beaten in the final in 1975 as they lost 2-0 to West Ham.
Liverpool last won the League Cup in 2022 after overcoming Chelsea via a penalty shootout.
Most read in Football
CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERS
The Reds have won the competition on nine different occasions.
The victors will face either Chelsea or Middlesborough in the final at Wembley.
The Championship side won their first leg 1-0 at the Riverside Stadium thanks to a goal from Hayden Hackney.
What is their form like?
Fulham have only played one game since the defeat at Anfield.
The London side lost 1-0 to Chelsea in the Premier League on January 13.
Before the first leg, Fulham won back-to-back games against Arsenal in the league and Rotherham in the FA Cup.
Liverpool are unbeaten since the Europa League defeat to Union Saint-Gilloise on December 14.
They won their most recent match in the league against Bournemouth 4-0.
Team news
Fulham have just one injury to worry about in Adama Traore, who is still recovering from a hamstring strain.
But the Cottagers will be without Alex Iwobi and Calvin Bassey too, as they are on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
Mohamed Salah is unavailable for Liverpool because of Afcon and an injury which could see him miss a month of action.
The game also comes too soon for Trent Alexander-Arnold, who has a knee injury.
Wataru Endo is also out of the game as he is on Asian Cup duty with Japan.
Who will be the star men?
The match could be decided through the battle in midfield.
Fulham’s key man will be Joao Palhinha. The Portuguese star has been linked with a big-money exit from the club due to his performances for the club.
The midfielder will be tasked with trying to stop Liverpool’s impressive midfield.
For the Reds, Curtis Jones could be key in breaking through the Fulham midfield.
The Englishman scored in the first leg, thanks to a deflection by looked a constant threat throughout.
He has been brilliant throughout the competition having scored three goals in four appearances.
Should he get on top of the game then he could control the tempo and help Liverpool into the final.
What have the managers said?
Marco Silva is aiming to lead Fulham to their first final in 14 years.
He said: “My ambition is to always play cup competitions and go further.
“The first game in the Carabao Cup was poor last season.
“It was an important moment for us to talk about the approach in the future.
“It’s going to be 90 minutes of us fighting for what we want. Fighting to play at Wembley.”
Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has claimed that the competition has helped develop the team.
He said: “I said before that playing finals is one of the most important things for a team to develop. Winning them!
“Playing a semi-final in January is great in the season [and] being able to reach Wembley, one of the most iconic stadiums in the world, is unbelievable.
“All of these things have an impact on development. It creates a squad as well.
“I said it two years ago when we play all four competitions until the end, it creates for players a constant opportunity that maybe they are not playing now, but in two weeks they know they are going to play so they train in a different way, so that’s really important.
“I like a lot if we play every three days, the more games we play the better because it means everybody will be involved.
“You are reaching finals and that means development [and] more difficult games means more development.
“It’s important and it gives opportunity. We would not have seen all these players, these young ones, if you don’t play in four competitions.”
SunSport prediction
Fulham 1 Liverpool 3
When is Fulham vs Liverpool?
- Liverpool’s visit to Fulham will take place on Wednesday, January 24.
- The match will be held at Craven Cottage.
- Fulham vs Liverpool will kick off at 8pm GMT.
- The winner will play Chelsea or Middlesbrough in the final.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
- Liverpool’s clash with Fulham in the Carabao Cup will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football.
- You can live stream the action from the Sky Go or NOW TV apps, both of which are available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
Odds
- Fulham – 16/5
- Draw – 14/5
- Liverpool – 4/5
- Fulham to qualify – 11/2
- Liverpool to qualify – 1/10
*Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and correct at time of publication.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
