Just three days after demolishing West Ham, Liverpool’s third game in a week awaits when they open their Carabao Cup campaign against Leicester City.
The 2023/24 season is just over a month away and the schedule is really full.
The Reds began their Europa League campaign against LASK last Thursday before hosting West Ham at the weekend – winning both legs 3-1 – and now Jurgen Klopp and co face Leicester City for the first time since last season’s shock exit. .
If that wasn’t enough, the Reds also travel to high-flying Tottenham just three days after their cup tie with Leicester, so expect a tough midweek rotation. However, Liverpool have responded brilliantly to all challenges so far this season and Klopp will no doubt be hoping that even a second-tier side should be enough to lift the title.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
DATE, START AND STAGE
Date: Wednesday September 27, 2023
Start time: 19:45 BST / 14:45 ET / 11:45 PT
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD
Liverpool and Leicester have met 121 times in history, with the Reds coming out on top 55, drawing 25 and losing 41, which is a lot closer than many would think.
However, in the last ten meetings between the clubs, Liverpool was clearly better, winning seven, drawing one and losing two. The Reds’ last defeat against the reigning champions came in December 2021 during Liverpool’s torrid season. .
Klopp’s side have won the last three between the two sides by a convincing 7-1 aggregate score. WHERE TO WATCH
LIVERPOOL VS LEICESTER on TV
Unfortunately for UK viewers, the game will not be televised as the Fire have not been selected for coverage (yet another match Liverpool fans will not be able to watch live). In Europe, the game is available on DAZN.
LIVERPOOL TEAM NEWS
One big question mark ahead of Wednesday night’s game is Trent Alexander-Arnold and whether the Englishman has recovered from a hamstring injury in time to make the team against Aston Villa for the first time since his early retirement. earlier this month.
The time limit for the defender’s absence was originally two weeks. However, Liverpool’s 3-1 win over West Ham at the weekend marked three weeks since he first suffered the injury and Alexander-Arnold was left out of the squad. The 24-year-old is unlikely to feature against Leicester due to a tight turnaround between games and Klopp is likely to give him at least the crucial weekend game against Spurs to regain fitness.
Meanwhile, Thiago Alcantara is another notable absentee and is certainly a mystery. At the start of pre-season, the Spaniard was said to be close to a return, but now a month and a half into the season, there is still no sign of the midfielder’s return to the Reds.
The only other confirmed absentee is young full-back Conor Bradley, who unfortunately looks set to miss most of the calendar year.
This again leaves Joe Gomez as the only really viable option to play on the right-hand side, but supporters won’t mind as Liverpool’s longest-serving player has stepped up in recent weeks and been excellent on the right-hand side of defence. . . Youngsters such as Ben Doak, Stefan Bajcetic, Jarell Quansah and Bobby Clark could all see some game time in a significantly changed line-up on Wednesday, while Caoimh Kelleher is expected to reprise his role as Cup goalkeeper.
Harvey Elliott, who was an unused substitute against West Ham, is also likely to play.
LEICESTER TEAM NEWS
From Leicester City’s point of view, there are no problems with first team injuries or suspensions. However, as expected, their squad was bewitched by the club’s relegation last season, with high-profile players such as Harvey Barnes, James Maddison and Youri Tielemans all leaving to continue playing in the Premier League.
Despite this, Wednesday’s game will not be extra. Enzo Maresca’s side have been on a high this season and are currently top of the league with seven wins and one draw from their first eight matches. They will be looking for an emphatic win against Liverpool, not only to progress in the cup, but also to let Premier League sides know they will be back next season.
predicted line-up
With Liverpool in the middle of a packed match week and a game against Tottenham just around the corner, expect Klopp to rotate his squad heavily.
(4-3-3): Caoimhin Kelleher; Joe Gomez, Ibrahima Konate, Jarell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas; Wataru Endo, Harvey Elliott, Ryan Gravenberch; Ben Doak, Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota
PREDATION
Despite the gap between the two, this could prove to be a tough game for Liverpool, with tough Premier League fixtures against West Ham and Tottenham either side of the Carabao Cup.
Certainly the least rated of the four competitions that the Reds will compete in this season, there are many who would not be devastated by an early exit. However, the Reds are in fantastic form and the game will be played at Anfield, so they should have more than enough to go on… the usual scoreboard.
