There are two standout fixtures in this next round of red hot League Cup action- Newcastle United at Chelsea FC, which we already covered here, and West Ham United at Liverpool. The Reds saw themselves fall out of first place in the Premier League table yesterday, due to their nil-nil draw with archrival Manchester United; coupled with Arsenal beating Brighton.
Liverpool and Arsenal are no doubt league title contenders this season, but the Reds stand alone among the favorites to win the EFL Cup.
West Ham United at Liverpool FC FYIs
Kickoff: Wed. Dec. 20, Anfield, Liverpool, 8pm
Competition: EFL Cup Quarterfinals
Starting XI Predictions: West Ham Liverpool
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
How they Got Here- West Ham: beat Lincoln City 1-0, Arsenal 3-1 Liverpool: beat Leicester 3-1, Bournemouth 2-1
Arsenal, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and the defending champions, Manchester United, have all been bounced from the tourney, so who else, other than Liverpool, would be the favorite right now?
Maybe Newcastle, as they have looked really good in this competition, so far, but given their long injury list, probably not. Anyway, let’s get on to the starting lineup prediction.
Liverpool FC Starting 11 Prediction vs West Ham United (EFL Cup Quarterfinals)
Caoimhin Kelleher; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Jarrell Quansah, Kostas Tsimikas; Harvey Elliott, Wataru Endo, Curtis Jones; Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now, while writing for the International Baseball Writers Association of America. You can follow the website on Twitter.