Liverpool will host West Ham United in the last quarter-finals of the EFL Cup. To get this far, Jurgen Klopp’s team has defeated Leicester City and Bournemouth. The Irons surprised Arsenal in the fourth round following a close victory against Lincoln City in the first round.
Preview (Liverpool vs. West Ham United)
In Liverpool’s premier league match against Manchester United, which saw Anfield host its largest-ever attendance in the competition’s history, one desired record was broken, but Klopp’s team also earned a piece of unwanted history as the Red Devils managed to escape with a point. With 34 shots on target and no way to beat André Onana once, Liverpool’s lack of a killer instinct in the final third and the Red Devils’ tenacious defense on Sunday night prevented them from scoring, a statistic they had not experienced in a Premier League game since data became available in 2003–04.
The top left-hand corner scoreline did not support Liverpool’s 11-game winning home run in the 2023–24 season. Despite the manager going so far as to say that his team’s overall performance was more dominant than their 7–0 annihilation of Man United last season. Liverpool are currently second in the standings behind Arsenal. It will put an end to any talk of a title fight as they look to advance closer to a record-tying tenth EFL Cup. They won their ninth and most recent title in 2022.
The Reds have only lost once in their last six quarterfinal matches. It was on a historic day in the 2019–20 campaign when an XI made up entirely of academy players. Klopp’s senior team was playing in the Club World Cup. With injuries to Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Alexis Mac Allister (knee), and Thiago Alcantara (hip) decimating his midfield ranks already, Klopp was forced to substitute Ryan Gravenberch from the game just after the hour mark against Man United due to the Dutchman’s hamstring problem.
Team News
With injuries to Stefan Bajcetic (calf), Alexis Mac Allister (knee), and Thiago Alcantara (hip) decimating his midfield ranks already, Klopp was forced to substitute Ryan Gravenberch from the game just after the hour mark against Man United due to the Dutchman’s hamstring problem. Although Gravenberch is expected to miss the quarterfinal and possibly the entire holiday season. Klopp is crossing his fingers that the injury was not serious. This gives Curtis Jones hope that he will play regularly during the Christmas season. This is assuming Mac Allister’s knee injury heals quickly.
The Reds have a mounting injury list that includes Andrew Robertson (shoulder), Joel Matip (ACL), and Diego Jota (muscle). Klopp will continue to make plenty of changes and give Joe Gomez, Harvey Elliott, and Cody Gakpo chances to shine. In the meantime, not much has happened in the empty West Ham treatment bay. Michael Antonio, who suffered a knee injury, is the only patient there. It will likely take him a few weeks to return to first-team action.
Despite Alphonse Areola’s recent comeback from a wrist injury, Lukasz Fabianski was once again selected to start in goal for Wolves, where Edson Alvarez recovered to play the entire ninety minutes. It’s possible that Moyes would stick with Fabianski on Wednesday before adding Areola back into his Premier League starting lineup. Given the busy schedule, Danny Ings may have a better chance of starting against his former team.
Liverpool 2-1 West Ham United
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