Liverpool vs Fulham: Tips, Predictions, News, and More
The clash between the Reds and the Cottagers is one of the few highlights of the semi-final week of the EFL final 2023. Liverpool can sit back and relax in their semi-final match against Fulham despite the absence of their star player, Mohamed Salah, who is preparing for the AFCON.
Here is our complete prediction of the upcoming semis game between Liverpool and Fulham at the Carabao Cup.
Red will dominate
Liverpool is the clear favorite to reign victorious in the upcoming first leg of the semi-finals of the EFL Carabao Cup. It is expected that they will dominate the match with lots and lots of goals to put on the scoring board.
Even though their team star Mohamed Salah was away with his national squad, Egypt, for the Africa Cup of Nations, that did not halt the Reds from accruing several winnings along the way during their matches on Sunday. This has cemented their crystal-clear dominance in this season of the EFL final 2023.
The Reds were unstoppable at Anfield this edition; they managed to produce 13 wins out of their 15 matches and scored at least three goals in 11 consecutive times. The only dents in their dominance have been their 1-1 draw in their match against Arsenal and a 0-0 draw in their game against Manchester United.
Now that Liverpool is set to clash with Fulham in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup, Marco Silva’s squad needs to step up their A-game, having been conceded three goals in their losses against Newcastle United and Bournemouth.
Diaz can leave a mark
The absence of Mohamed Salah was felt by the Reds, plus a few injured players could be a threat to the victory of Liverpool against Fulham.
The lack of Salah’s presence on the team will force some of Liverpool’s supporting members to take charge and lead the team to victory over Fulham, and that one is the squad’s left winger, Luis Diaz.
The Colombian striker was dealing with a personal crisis this season of the EFL final 2023 when both of his parents were kidnapped in the city of Barrancas in Colombia, and his father is yet to be released. Despite the incident, Diaz managed to set his emotions aside and delivered a fiery performance at the Emirates over the weekend.
That was the only fourth time he finished a 90-minute match for Jurgen Klopp’s squad. However, he is set to have much more playing time on Wednesday and has the chance not to miss.
The rise of Palhinha
Liverpool is expected to use all of the tricks up their sleeves to make an impressive start at the upcoming match. They will definitely assert dominance over their opponent, especially during the first half.
On the other hand, Joao Palhinha is expected to carry the Fulham team in the match, especially on the midfield side. However, he has produced penalties eight times this edition, and while he got away with a yellow card in the 4-3 loss at Anfield in December, he did have four fouls, so it is no surprise if he will not be given enough playing time.
This particular match is the first meeting between Liverpool and Fulham for the semi-finals of this season’s EFL Cup. The final match of the two will be played next week. The last time that a new team played in the EFL final 2023 was in 2012/season with Swansea City and Bradford City.
Trent Alexander-Arnold was dealing with an injury
One of the essential members of the Liverpool squad was Trent Alexander-Arnold when he became instrumental in Liverpool’s victory against Fulham last December. However, he will not be joining his teammates this time at the EFL final 2023 when he suffered a knee injury in their FA Cup match against Arsenal.
Liverpool will not be the same without Alexander-Arnold, having been produced five assists during his last few appearances for Liverpool at the EFL Cup. Aside from Alexander-Arnold, the Reds will also be missing a few players, such as Joel Matip, Kostas Tsimikas, Thiago Alcantara, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Stefan Bajcectic.
Final words
The upcoming match between Liverpool and Fulham is one of the interesting events of next week’s game. The Reds had a winning streak whenever they played the first leg of an EFL final 2023 match.
