The Carabao Cup is the third competition to appear in Liverpool’s increasingly congested 2018/19 fixture list, and the opponents are Premier League rivals Chelsea, who come to Anfield for this cup tie before a meeting between the two side takes place in the League on Saturday in London, 70 hours later.
Source: liverpoolfc.com
As Liverpool prepare to kick off their Carabao Cup campaign, it’s time for the annual debate about its value, and how seriously we should take the thing, to rear its ugly head. Last year, Klopp made a lot of changes as we were ousted away at Leicester with goals from Shinji Okazaki and Islam Slimani. Klopp was seething with this exit and I think he will be keen to make amends this season. Furthermore, despite the brilliant progress this club has achieved under Klopp, the German is still missing a piece of silverware to show for it. Having a trophy would be a tangible measurement of progress, and Klopp will be keen for that. The Carabao Cup represents arguably our best chance of lifting a trophy this campaign, and as a result I think a large amount of emphasis will be placed on this match. Admittedly it comes bang in the middle of a heavy patch of huge fixtures, but even without beginning it, we are far closer to winning this trophy than any other and knocking another potential winner out in its early stages would really help – especially when another potential winner in Manchester United has already exited. Playing Chelsea twice in such a short space of time is an interesting situation, and not entirely unique. In 2012, we played Chelsea in the League at Anfield three days after losing the FA Cup final to them, and in 2008, we played Arsenal three times in eight days. Chelsea and Liverpool are two of three unbeaten teams so far this season, so everything points towards a thrilling tie.
Chelsea at Anfield is a fixture that Liverpool have got a difficult record in. While Chelsea haven’t won at Anfield since 2014, you have to go back to 2012 for Liverpool’s last win in the fixture. The last four meetings at Liverpool’s home ground have resulted in draws, incredibly all by the same score of 1-1. Last season’s meeting saw a late Willian goal cancel out Mohamed Salah’s opener, but on the preceding three occasions, it was Chelsea who took the lead with Liverpool pegging them back – each time being in the second half. With a record against Chelsea that would probably be being generous to describe as mixed, Liverpool will look to a far better record in the Round Three of this competition. Even though this was the scene of Liverpool’s defeat at the KingPower last season, the Reds have qualified from this round three times in the last four years – with successful passages against Derby, Carlisle and Middlesbrough. One of the changes to the Carabao Cup for this season is the removal of extra time – if a game is level after 90 minutes, it heads straight to a penalty shoot-out. Liverpool’s last three penalty shootouts have come in this tournament – wins against Carlisle and Stoke en route to the 2016 final, where Man City defeated the Reds in the shootout to lift the trophy.
A Carabao Cup game usually results in mass changes, especially one in the midst of such a hectic fixture list. However, with it being against such strong opposition, and the well-known desire of Jurgen Klopp to win a trophy in England, he could play a stronger side than expected. As such, it is extremely difficult to cobble together a starting eleven prediction. One man who Klopp confirmed will play is Simon Mignolet, who is due to make his first appearance since late January – a phenomenal amount of time between matches for a first team player. The full backs are likely to be rotated, with Nathaniel Clyne and Alberto Moreno coming in for their first matches of the season, both being solid options and very good backups. Centre back is a little more difficult to predict. I had assumed that Joe Gomez was rested on Saturday with the intention of him playing this match, but with the return to fitness of Dejan Lovren, we could actually see the Croat make his first appearance too, alongside Saturday’s goalscorer Joel Matip. Personally, I would prefer to see a Gomez-Matip partnership. The idea of four of the back five, including both centre backs, making their first appearance in this match concerns me.
The midfield trio is an interesting one. We are likely to see Fabinho make his first start for Liverpool, a moment fans have been waiting for. Seeing how he performs as a number six will be intriguing against a Chelsea side packed with ability. I expect James Milner and Naby Keita to come back in after being rested at the weekend, to form a very strong threesome in the centre of the park.
Xherdan Shaqiri and Daniel Sturridge are almost certain to start, with Shaqiri moving from the number ten role into his more recognised right wing slot. I predict that Sadio Mane will make up the front three. Originally I had hoped that Curtis Jones would start, however I see Jones as an 8 or even a 10, I’m not sure he has the pace for a game like this on the wing. The routine and relatively easy nature of Saturday’s win means that one of the regular front three could be included from the start here.
Other people in contention include Dominic Solanke and Adam Lallana, both of whom could be back from injury, but are likely to feature from the bench, if at all. Youngsters such as Jones, Phillips and Camacho could also feature, and it would be great to see some of the stars of pre-season be rewarded. In the same breath though, Klopp promised he would play a ‘very good team’, and so I think any youth minutes will come from substitutions rather than starts. With penalties a possibility, this has to be a consideration. Having a goalkeeper as strong at facing penalties as Mignolet is a huge asset. In terms of taking them, people like Milner, Fabinho, Moreno and Sturridge would fancy their chances from twelve yards.
Chelsea are more likely to make wholesale changes than Liverpool in this game. Maurizio Sarri went very strong in the Europa League against PAOK last week and so I think we can infer that the Europa League is Sarri’s secondary priority, and as such will play a much changed team in the cup. Willy Caballero is likely to come in, and Liverpool fans will be hoping for a repeat of his World Cup performances. Davide Zappacosta and Emerson Palmieri should replace Azpilicueta and Alonso, with a centre back partnership of Andreas Christensen (how is David Luiz starting over him?) and Gary Cahill. Young starlet Ethan Ampadu is highly thought of and whilst a centre back by trade, could play defensive midfield too. Hands up who’d forgotten Chelsea had signed Danny Drinkwater? The former Leicester man may also feature, though Sarri could choose to play Cesc Fabregas and Ross Barkley, who offer a little more in an offensive sense. Victor Moses was a key man under Antonio Conte but is yet to play under Sarri, and this may be his chance, with much-maligned striker Alvaro Morata up top. Young winger Callum Hudson-Odoi is rated extremely highly by Chelsea fans, with many hailing him as one of the brightest talents in England. This could be a test for Nathaniel Clyne down the flank. Chelsea are missing Antonio Rudiger, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Pedro through injury, but could still name a strong bench.
I’m really up for this. I hope Klopp puts out a strong team and respects the competition and the opposition. This is a great chance to get to Wembley and win a trophy this season. But first we have to dispose of Chelsea. Our squad depth is greater and what’s astounding is that despite making 8 changes from the team that played Southampton, we could still have a very good eleven. A back line of Mignolet, Clyne, Lovren, Matip and Moreno would’ve been our strongest defence not too long ago! Come on Liverpool, it’s time we started winning stuff again.
Predicted XIs
Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Clyne, Lovren, Matip, Moreno; Fabinho, Milner, Keita; Shaqiri, Sturridge, Mane
Subs: Kelleher, Phillips, Camacho, Henderson, Jones, Salah, Solanke
Chelsea (4-3-3): Caballero; Zappacosta, Christensen, Cahill, Emerson; Ampadu, Fabregas, Barkley; Moses, Morata, Hudson-Odoi
Subs: Green, Luiz, Azpilicueta, Drinkwater, Kante, Hazard, Giroud
Score Prediction
Liverpool 2-1 Chelsea
Daniel Daykin
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