Having the space between themselves and their nearest competitor at the top of the Premier League table, Liverpool turned their attention to the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals versus Fulham. Should Liverpool advance, they will play either Middlesbrough or Chelsea in the finals on February 25 at Wembley.
Injury Update
Liverpool received some much-needed good news from the injury front as Andy Robertson could make an appearance in the match after being sidelined for 13 weeks. However, Mohammed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be available along with Dominik Szoboszlai and Kostas Tsimikas. Wataru Endo is also unavailable because he is on international duty with the Japanese national team.
Don't Count Out The Cottagers
Fulham will certainly give Liverpool a test at Craven Cottage. Even though the Reds won the first leg 2-1, they had to do it in come-from-behind fashion. Fulham sit 13th on the Premier League Table, but having a chance to play spoiler in front of their home fans and advance to a Cup final, should act as great motivation for the entire club. They are led in scoring by English Midfielder Bobby Reid, who has six goals across all competitions this season.
Heading For A Rematch?
The last time Liverpool played in a Carabao Cup Final was in 2022 versus Chelsea. The epic match ended in a 0-0 draw at the end of regulation and extra time. The penalty shootout then went to extra rounds. Caoimhin Kelleher played the hero, making the final save as Liverpool claimed the 11-10 victory.
Before getting to that point, however, assistant manager Pep Lijnders warned that the Reds still had plenty of work to do before a potential rematch.
“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,” Lijnders said. “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.”
LFC Globe Verdict
Liverpool supporters are understandably enamoured that the Reds are five points clear at the top of the Premier League table over Manchester City. But we cannot overlook the importance of this competition in that excitement. The chance to play for a domestic cup does not come around often, even for a team like Liverpool. So, we cannot afford to come out flat against what is sure to be a raucous crowd at Craven Cottage. I expect Darwin Núñez to score in a narrow 1-0 Liverpool victory.
Where To Watch
Kickoff from Craven Cottage is set for 20:00 GMT on January 24 and can be seen on Sky Sports. American supporters and watch the action on ESPN +. Canadian viewers can stream via fuboTV.
A full list of streaming options is available by visiting LFC Globe's Live Streams page
