Liverpool FC played Manchester United to a 2-2 draw yesterday, and that was your classic “tie that feels like a win for one side, a loss for the other.” If you clicked here, then you probably follow the league and sport enough that you already who felt like winners, and who felt like losers. Now Liverpool will look to take their frustrations out on Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup semifinals. The Reds enter this clash with a nearly fully fit squad, so you can expect manager Arne Slot to make a couple changes from yesterday at Anfield.
EFL Cup Semifinal, Leg 1/2 FYIs
Kick: Wed. Jan. 8, 8pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Team News: Liverpool Tottenham
Starting XI Predictions: Liverpool Tottenham
How They Got Here:
Liverpool- Quarterfinals: Southampton 3-2, Round of 16: Brighton 3-2, Third Round: West Ham 5-1
Tottenham- Quarterfinals: Manchester United 4-3, Round of 16: Manchester City 2-1, Third Round: Coventry 2-1 Second Round: Nottingham Forest 1-1 (4-3 penalties)
Right back Trent Alexander-Arnold was widely criticized for his lackluster performance yesterday, with some speculating that the transfer links to Real Madrid are distracting him from being his best. The always outspoken and colorfully critical Roy Keane chimed in, saying “forget about Real Madrid, try Tranmere Rovers.”
Wow! That remark is as cold as the weather is right now! He got subbed off for Conor Bradley yesterday, so we’re predicting a switch here in the first team.
Liverpool Starting XI Prediction at Tottenham Hotspur (League Cup Semifinals)
Alisson; Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Andy Robertson; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Mo Salah, Harvey Elliott, Diogo Jota; Darwin Nunez
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor 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 currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.