Defending Champions Liverpool Start Carabao Cup Defence Against Struggling West Ham

Liverpool begin their Carabao Cup defence with an all-Premier League third-round clash against West Ham on Wednesday at Anfield. The Reds are looking to extend their record haul of 10 successes in the competition, having defeated Chelsea in last season's final, with Virgil van Dijk scoring the winning goal in extra time.

A New Era at Anfield

Arne Slot, the new Liverpool manager, is keen to secure the first piece of silverware of his Anfield tenure. He is aiming to build on a largely positive start to his reign, with Liverpool warming up for the fixture with West Ham by beating Bournemouth in the Premier League at the weekend.

“I know the history of this club,” said Slot. “I know what happened last season and in a special way, with so many youngsters on the pitch in the final. I know how special winning a cup can be.

“It is not only fans who love winning trophies, players and managers do. We all love to win something but that is far away. We are aware of the fact we won it last season and are the holders of that trophy so we have to protect that [status]. We are going to give everything to win it again.”

A Morale Boost for the Hammers

West Ham, on the other hand, have only taken four points from their opening five Premier League games under Julen Lopetegui and are badly in need of a morale boost. The Hammers will hope to fare better than last season’s quarter-final meeting, when Liverpool ran out 5-1 winners at Anfield.

Team News and Predicted Lineups

Liverpool

Liverpool are expected to make changes to their starting XI for this clash, with manager Arne Slot likely to rotate his squad. The Reds will be without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson, who remains sidelined after missing the previous match. Caoimhin Kelleher, who stepped in for him, is expected to start again.

The Reds also face a blow in midfield with Harvey Elliott out for the rest of the month due to a fractured foot sustained while with England U21s. However, Curtis Jones could come into the midfield, after his 30-minute cameo against Bournemouth. The new signing Federico Chiesa, who made his Liverpool debut against AC Milan in the Champions League, is a candidate for his first start after playing 19 minutes at the weekend against Bournemouth.

Liverpool’s attack remains one of their strengths, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Díaz as regular starters on the wings. However, they have added depth with Cody Gakpo and the newly-signed Chiesa, giving Slot plenty of options to mix up his forward line.

Liverpool predicted lineup (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Van Dijk, Quansah, Tsimikas; Jones, Mac Allister, Szbozszlai; Chiesa, Nunez, Gakpo

West Ham

West Ham could be boosted by the return of Niclas Füllkrug, who is back in contention for this League Cup tie. Manager Julen Lopetegui has confirmed that Lukasz Fabianski will start in goal, replacing Alphonse Areola for this match.

The Hammers have alternated between formations this season, using 4-1-4-1, 4-2-3-1, and most recently a 3-4-3 in their loss to Chelsea. Lopetegui might revert to a four-back setup for more defensive stability after conceding three goals at the weekend. Vladimír Coufal is expected to start at right-back, while Emerson, who has won every European competition, could feature on the left. In central defense, Konstantinos Mavropanos has been a regular, and he could be partnered by either of the new signings, Jean-Clair Todibo or Max Kilman.

In midfield, Guido Rodríguez and Edson Álvarez were both substituted early against Chelsea, which could lead to changes. Tomas Soucek and Carlos Soler are likely candidates to step in.

Up front, captain Jarrod Bowen has been leading the line but can also shift to the wing, offering versatility alongside Mohammed Kudus, who is comfortable playing both wide and centrally. Lucas Paquetá and Crysencio Summerville started in attack at the weekend but may be rested for this cup clash.

West Ham predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Mavropanos, Todibo, Emerson; Rodriguez, Soucek; Kudus, Soler, Ings; Summerville

Key Players to Watch

Federico Chiesa

Chiesa signed for Liverpool in the summer for a reported £10 million and made his debut last week in the Champions League. At 26 years old, he has made 51 appearances for Italy and has scored seven goals for his country. He was part of the side that won the European Championship in 2020 and made the Team of the Tournament for his performances in this competition. After impressing on loan for two seasons, Chiesa signed for Juventus from Fiorentina and went on to play over 100 games for The Old Lady. He is a fast winger with great dribbling ability and is also versatile, being able to play anywhere across the front line.

Carlos Soler

Soler is on loan from PSG for the season and made his debut against Fulham and played 37 minutes off of the bench against Chelsea. He began his career at Valencia where he became an important player for the Spanish club making over 200 appearances and scoring 36 goals. Soler also won the Copa Del Rey with Valencia in 2019. Luis Enrique last season often used the midfielder as a substitution rather than a starter so has gone out on loan to seek more game time. With PSG he won the Ligue 1 title twice as well as the Coupe De France and the Trophee Des Champions.

Where to Watch

The game will be live on Sky Sports in the UK with the game kicking off at 3 pm ET / 9 pm CEST. The match will be shown on relevant channels in other regions, including Paramount+ (USA), beIN Sports 3 (Australia), DAZN (Canada), FanCode (India), 111 mio Sports 1 (Singapore), SuperSport Maximo 1 (Nigeria and South Africa). For more information on how to watch the game in your region, check LiveSoccerTV.

Betting Tips and Predictions

Liverpool are the favorites for this match, but West Ham will be hoping to cause an upset. Despite the Hammers’ struggles in the Premier League, they have the potential to cause problems for Liverpool, especially with their pace and directness in attack.

Our betting experts suggest a few bets for this game:

1. Liverpool to Win: The Reds are in strong form and have a strong home advantage. They are likely to win this match, but be careful of the Hammers, as they are desperate for a result.

2. Both Teams to Score: West Ham have shown that they can score goals against Liverpool, and it is a possibility that they will get on the scoresheet again in this game, but the Reds' defensive strength could make this a long shot.

3. Over 2.5 Goals: This is a high-scoring match. The Reds have a strong attack and West Ham, despite their struggles, have shown that they can score goals. There is a real possibility of a high-scoring game.

The Verdict

This is a tough one to call. Both teams have the potential to win this game. Liverpool are in much better form, though, and will be looking to continue their strong start to the season. The Reds are the favorites to win this match, and they are likely to emerge victorious.

Conclusion

Liverpool’s Carabao Cup defence gets underway with a clash against West Ham, who are looking to bounce back from a difficult start to the season. The Reds have a strong squad and will be looking to win their first trophy of the season. With the excitement of the start of the season building, the opportunity for cup glory is a strong possibility. With plenty of twists and turns in store for this season, be sure to catch the match and see which side comes out on top.