Liverpool vs Fulham

A place in the League Cup showpiece event is up for grabs as Liverpool and Fulham go head-to-head in the first leg of their semi-final tie at Anfield.

Fresh off an incredible 2-0 win against fierce rivals Arsenal in last week’s FA Cup action, high-flying Liverpool bid to reach the League Cup final for the third time in three years. Despite losing star forward Mohamed Salah to the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations, the ‘Reds’ will take the field in a buoyant mood after winning three domestic fixtures on the trot, all of which via a two-goal margin. Anfield is a perfect venue for Liverpool to build an advantage in this two-legged tie, considering they’ve gone unbeaten in their last 23 competitive outings on home soil (W19, D4). That’s not to mention that Jurgen Klopp’s men have won 12 of their 15 matches at Anfield this season by multi-goal margins.

In the meantime, Fulham survived a penalty shoot-out drama to set up their first-ever League Cup semi-final tie, presenting themselves with a rare opportunity to lift a piece of silverware. However, the ‘Cottagers’ would need to make history to achieve that feat, as they’ve gone winless in all nine previous clashes against Liverpool in the League Cup (D2, L7), including the tournament’s joint-heaviest 10-0 defeat in 1983. On top of that, Marco Silva’s side lost 4-3 at this venue in the Premier League earlier this season, extending their winless H2H run in all competitions to three games (D1, L2). Leaving Craven Cottage will hardly inspire confidence within the traveling camp, knowing the visitors have only won once on their last ten competitive travels (D4, L5 – 90 minutes only).