Liverpool host Crystal Palace in the Carabao Cup fourth round at Anfield as Arne Slot’s side look to end a dismal run of form.
Here’s match preview ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
How to Watch
Venue: Anfield, Liverpool
Kick-off time: 8pm (GMT)
TV channel: Live on Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage starting from 7pm.
Recent Form
Liverpool are desperate to stop the rot when they welcome Crystal Palace to Anfield on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup fourth round.
The reigning Premier League champions are enduring their toughest spell under Arne Slot so far, having lost five of their last six matches in all competitions including four straight Premier League defeats. Their latest setback, a 3-2 loss to Brentford, has seen them tumble to seventh in the table and fall seven points behind early leaders Arsenal.
A 5-1 Champions League win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week offered temporary relief, but Slot’s men quickly reverted to type in domestic action. Now, with their title defence hanging by a thread, the League Cup provides a vital chance to rebuild confidence and keep their hopes of silverware alive.
This will already be the third meeting between the two sides this season and Arne Slot side will not need reminding of how the previous two ended.
Palace defeated the Reds on penalties in the Community Shield after a 2-2 draw at Wembley in August, before Eddie Nketiah’s late winner sealed a 2-1 Premier League victory for the Eagles at Selhurst Park last month.
That result ended Liverpool’s perfect start to the season and sparked their alarming slide in form. Revenge will be firmly on the minds of Slot’s players, who have also been eliminated at this stage of the Carabao Cup in two of the last five campaigns though they have lifted the trophy twice in that same period 2022 and 2024.
For all the attacking flair Liverpool possess, it is at the back where their problems persist. The Reds have kept just two clean sheets in 14 matches, with individual errors and lapses in concentration repeatedly proving costly.
Former defender Jamie Carragher has described the season so far as “disastrous”, while Slot continues to search for the right balance between structure and creativity.
Crystal Palace:
Crystal Palace have proven to be Liverpool’s bogey team in recent months and Oliver Glasner’s side arrive at Anfield believing another scalp is possible.
The FA Cup and Community Shield holders are winless in four matches after a strong start to the campaign, but their performances against elite opposition remain encouraging. Palace’s 19-game unbeaten streak, ended earlier this month, showcased their progress under Glasner.
The Eagles reached last year’s EFL Cup quarter-finals before losing to Arsenal, and the Austrian coach has vowed to take this competition seriously once again. A third consecutive win over Liverpool and their first EFL Cup triumph at Anfield since 2011 would only reinforce Palace’s rapid rise.
Team News
Liverpool:
Curtis Jones is a doubt after hobbling off against Brentford, while Alexander Isak (groin) and Ryan Gravenberch (ankle) are doubts also. Alisson Becker (hamstring), Giovanni Leoni (ACL) and Jeremie Frimpong (hamstring) remain out.
Crystal Palace:
Caleb Kporha (back), Chadi Riad (knee) and Cheick Doucoure (knee) are sidelined, but otherwise Glasner has a full squad available.
Predicted Xl
Liverpool Predicted XI: Woodman; Ramsay, Gomez, Endo, Robertson; Nyoni, Mac Allister; Chiesa, Wirtz, Ngumoha; Ekitike.
Crystal Palace Predicted XI: Benitez; Canvot, Lacroix, Guehi; Clyne, Lerma, Hughes, Sosa; Esse, Devenny; Nketiah.
What the Managers Said
Arne Slot:
“Tonight’s fixture gives us an opportunity to take a step forward, not just in this competition but also in our season as a whole.
That it comes against an opponent that continues to prove itself to be very strong means this will be a testing cup tie but, again, this is the kind of challenge that we have to embrace.”
Oliver Glasner:
“We’re playing at Anfield, a very traditional stadium with fantastic fans as well, away to the Premier League title holders, with huge respect.
We know we’ve just a chance to win the game if we perform on our top level. Nothing else will be good enough to win there.”
