Fulham and Liverpool are set to battle it out in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Craven Cottage.
Match Preview:
Fulham lost the first leg 2-1 after taking the lead through Willian, but they will be aiming to overturn the deficit and secure a Wembley date with either Chelsea or Middlesbrough.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are chasing their 14th appearance in the EFL Cup final as they continue their quest for four pieces of silverware this season.
If the seven-goal thriller in December was anything to go by, Fulham are no strangers to putting the ball in the back of the net against Liverpool.
Although they lost that Premier League game 4-3, Fulham took the lead at Anfield through Willian in the first leg of the EFL Cup semi-final.
However, Liverpool came from behind to win 2-1, with Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo completing the comeback.
Fulham will be hoping to buck the trend of first-leg losers in EFL Cup semi-finals, as only 25% of teams have successfully overturned a first-leg defeat to win the tie.
The Cottagers have won five of their last six matches at Craven Cottage, but Liverpool have won the first leg of an EFL Cup semi-final nine times, advancing to the final in eight of those occasions.
Fulham’s Willian will be aiming to continue his impressive form in front of goal, having scored in the first leg.
Liverpool’s attacking trio of Gakpo, Jota, and Nunez will be the ones to watch, as they have been in fine form lately.
Liverpool have won nine of their last 11 encounters with Fulham, including the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final.
However, Fulham have won five of their last six matches at Craven Cottage.
Team News:
Fulham’s Adama Traore is the only player in the care of the medical team, and he could feature from the bench.
Harrison Reed is expected to return to the starting lineup, while Willian will be looking to become just the third player to score in both legs of an EFL Cup semi-final against Liverpool.
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah has returned to Merseyside for treatment on a muscular injury sustained on international duty, but he could still feature in the tie.
Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Joel Matip, Ben Doak, Kostas Tsimikas, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Andrew Robertson are all sidelined with injuries.
Possible Lineups:
Fulham: (4-2-3-1)
Leno;
Castagne, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson;
Palhinha, Reed;
Decordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian;
Jimenez
Liverpool: (4-3-3)
Alisson;
Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez;
Elliott, Mac Allister, Gravenberch;
Gakpo, Jota, Nunez
Prediction: Fulham 1-2 Liverpool (Liverpool win 4-2 on aggregate)
Fulham have scored the first goal in all five of their EFL Cup encounters this season, and they will be aiming to do so again on Wednesday.
However, Liverpool’s attackers are in red-hot form, having scored at least two goals in each of their last five matches. It is likely that Fulham will score, but Liverpool will come out on top with a 2-1 win, securing a 4-2 victory on aggregate.
