Liverpool will host Arsenal in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in a midweek clash. The Reds are coming on the back of a win against Tottenham where they were breathtaking for large parts of the game. On the other hand, all is not well with the Gunners on and off the pitch after they squandered a two goal lead against Crystal Palace. However, the major talking point of the game turned out to be Granit Xhaka’s reaction towards the fans when he was being substituted.
Arsenal swatted aside Nottingham Forest 5-0 when they featured earlier in the competition. Liverpool though, will be a massive test for them. However, they might be buoyed by the fact that most of their first-team players could be rested for this tie. It would be interesting to see how Emery approaches this games and whether he will give the fringe players a go or start with a few of his heavyweights. With pressure mounting on the former Sevilla manager, it won’t be a bad idea, to begin with, a strong lineup.
Team News
Liverpool
Virgil Van Dijk and Mohamed Salah took a knock in the last game, and they are likely to be rested. Xherdan Shaqiri and Joel Matip are expected to miss out. Klopp’s right-hand man Pep Ljinders has already indicated Caoimhín Kelleher will start in goal. Ki-Jana Hoever is out on international duty with the Netherlands. With Liverpool having bigger fish to fry in the Premier League and the Champions League, one can expect wholesale changes.
Probable lineup- Kelleher; Williams, Gomez, van den Berg, Milner; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Keita; Elliott, Brewster, Origi
Arsenal
Granit Xhaka is unlikely to be involved in this game after what happened on Sunday. Hector Bellerin could make a comeback in the lineup in this tie. Kieran Tierney could be rested after he started back to back games and he is still easing into the Arsenal lineup. Reiss Nelson is expected to miss out due to injury. Mesut Ozil’s involvement is going to be a big talking point, and he could be included in the matchday squad. Whether he gets a start remains to be seen.
Probable Lineup- Martinez; Bellerin, Mustafi, Holding, Kolasinac; Torreira, Willock; Maitland-Niles, Smith Rowe, Saka; Martinelli
Key men
Liverpool
Alex Oxlade Chamberlain was in sound form in the Champions League game, and he will look to continue his excellent work. Divock Origi will get his chance to shine from the beginning, and his explosiveness in the final third could trouble Arsenal.
Arsenal
Bukayo Saka has already shown that he can thrive at the top level as he has made some impressive appearances in the Premier League so far. Lucas Torreira in midfield will also be crucial to Arsenal’s chances if they want to progress to the last 8.
Prediction– We are expecting both sides to be heavily rotated so the tie could go either way. However, given that Liverpool are finding ways to win from every situation and add to that the recent turmoil in the Gunners camp, we expect the Reds to see off the Gunners by 2-1.
Odds
Liverpool Win- 1.83
Arsenal Win- 3.75
Draw- 3.75 (After 90 minutes)
