Liverpool will be reluctant to take a break from their stellar league season start on Wednesday when they welcome freshly relegated Leicester City at Anfield in the Carabao Cup.
As was to be anticipated, although not always the case, Leicester have shown their skill advantage after last season’s drop from the Premier League, starting life in the Championship with seven wins and one loss and presently leading the league.
Former Reds Danny Ward and Conor Coady are now playing for the Foxes. The club also avoided a major clearout over the summer, so the roster still includes many players with Premier League talent and experience. However, it is homegrown talent and loan returnee Kasey McAteer who leads the team in goals this season.
If you’re into omens, you should know that the Reds have played Leicester three times in the League Cup, and on the two instances they came out on top, they went on to win the tournament. The most recent of these victories came in 2022.
Liverpool’s Potential Starting XI (4-3-3)
Gakpo, Jota, and Doak; Kelleher; End, Gravenberch, and Elliott; and Gomez, Matip, Quansah, and Tsimikas
While significant squad rotation is to be expected in domestic cup competitions, given Liverpool’s wealth of potential and current squad health, we are unlikely to see many 17-year-olds making their debuts or squad numbers in the mid 80s for once.
Joe Gomez is expected to start at right back again and might be named captain as Trent Alexander-Arnold continues his recovery so that he can play against Tottenham this weekend. The newly extended Kostas Tsimikas will play on the opposite side, with Joel Matip and Jarrell Quansah likely starting in the middle.
Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch are poised to partner in midfield, complementing Harvey Elliott’s offensive presence, allowing Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai an opportunity to relax. Thiago has yet to return to full squad training and is thus unavailable. Likewise, Stefan Bajcetic is a frontrunner for the opening role.
Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo will likely start up top for the second time in a month, while Ben Doak will extend the pitch from right field in an attempt to provide space for his striking partners in the center.
Managerial Remarks
All of the lads on our team, as Pep Lijnders put it, “need to play. Jota told me this himself, but I have to agree: being in the League Cup meant that all of our players got regular playing time while we went for the four trophies. They keep going because they know there’s always another game to play.
From the perspective of transition and off-the-ball work, Enzo Maresca claims, “They have some new players but they have probably been the best team in the world for the last seven years.” They only need some time to adjust to their new roles, and they’ll be ready to go again. The atmosphere at Anfield should be ideal for us.