A place in the semi-finals of the EFL Cup awaits either Southampton or Liverpool, who meet on Wednesday, December 18th at St Mary’s for their quarter-final tie.
(Written by Lee Jackson)
How the bookies view it: Liverpool are strong favourites
If this were a Premier League match, it would be top versus bottom. Even though Liverpool will likely rotate their squad because of their league title challenge, the Reds are heavy 4/11 odds-on favourites on the south coast, leaving the Saints with a slim perceived chance of success from 6/1.
Recent head-to-head: Liverpool on top of the Saints
The Saints did give Liverpool a bit of a scare when they hosted them back in November in the Premier League. The Reds had to fight back from 2-1 down in the second half, with a Mo Salah brace rescuing the situation for them in a 3-2 win.
That made it seven games in a row unbeaten (W6, D1) for Liverpool against Southampton. High-scoring fixtures have certainly been a feature in more recent clashes, with each of the last six producing over 2.5 goals and four of those breaching the 3.5 goals watershed.
Players to watch: Jota to lead the line for the Reds?
Diogo Jota made a successful return to the Liverpool side on the weekend, getting on the scoresheet after his layoff through injury. This is a great chance for him to make an impression and build up his fitness, so he will likely be leading the line.
Cody Gakpo scored a brace for the Reds at Brighton in the last round, and has been in good form lately, so he is another one to watch in the goalscorer markets.
Southampton have generally been lightweight in front of goal, which is part of the reason they are struggling so much. But defender James Bree has scored two goals in three League Cup appearances this season, so watch out for him on set pieces.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool won’t have Andy Robertson available after his red card at the weekend, but Alexis Mac Allister is back from suspension. Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson are all likely to be rested. Southampton will miss Jack Stephens through suspension, otherwise they are pretty much at full strength.
Southampton: Ramsdale; Sugawara, Walker-Peters, Harwood-Bellis, Bednarek, Manning; Aribo, Ugochukwu, Mateus Fernandes; Dibling, Onuachu, Armstrong
Liverpool: Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Quansah, Van Dijk, Gomez; Mac Allister, Endo, Jones; Elliott, Jota, Nunez
Anything else catch the eye?
Southampton have lost five of their last six played since a victory over Everton at the start of November. To say it’s been tough going for the Saints would be an understatement, with the Hampshire side conceding at least a trio of goals in three of those defeats.
The Saints beat Championship side Stoke at home in the last round – just one of two wins they have banked at St Mary’s this season from a possible nine. They have also earned just one home clean sheet while conceding a total of 13 goals in their last three played on home turf.
Although Liverpool were left frustrated by a 2-2 home draw against Fulham at the weekend, they did so with just 10 men, and remained with just one defeat all season.
The Reds do have some defensive issues on the road though, as they have conceded at least two goals in four of their last five away games across all competitions.
This EFL Cup match between Southampton and Liverpool will be played on Dec 18, 2024 and kick off at 20:00. Check below for our tipsters best Southampton vs Liverpool prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
