Fulham v Liverpool predictions, odds and betting tips: Cottagers can make it a close encounter

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Where to watch Fulham v Liverpool

You can watch Fulham v Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-final, second leg on January 24th, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football at 8pm on Wednesday.

Match prediction & best bet

Fulham or draw double chance
2pts 11-10 Hills

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Fulham v Liverpool odds

Fulham 10-3
Liverpool 4-5
Draw 3-1

Odds correct at time of publishing

Fulham v Liverpool team news

Fulham
Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi and Fode Ballo-Toure are on international duty and Adama Traore (hamstring) is sidelined.

Liverpool
Mohamed Salah has returned from the Africa Cup of Nations with a hamstring injury and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Kostas Tsimikas, Joel Matip, Stefan Bajcetic, Dominik Szoboszlai and Thiago Alcantara remain sidelined. Wataru Endo is on international duty but Andy Robertson could make the bench.

Fulham v Liverpool predictions

Fulham are striving to reach an EFL Cup final for the first time in their history and can give nine-times winners Liverpool a run for their money in Wednesday's crunch tie at Craven Cottage.

The Cottagers trail 2-1 after a defeat in the first leg of this semi-final at Anfield a fortnight ago but they are likely to carry a greater threat on home soil and can at least avoid defeat in the return match.

Marco Silva's will probably need to strike first but they have been accustomed to making fast starts in the EFL Cup run and have landed the first blow in all of their five matches. The Londoners have also scored the opener in five of their last six home matches against Liverpool, although they have won just one of them.

Liverpool are the most successful club in EFL Cup history and were delighted to carve out a first-leg advantage after falling behind to Willian's well-taken 19th-minute goal.

Jurgen Klopp's side were a different animal after the break and finished worthy winners after dominating the shot count 21 to six. They also missed some decent chances to go further ahead and their failure to win by a wider margin has left the contest finely balanced.

Fulham have triumphed in five of their last six home games, including a 2-1 victory over Arsenal when they came from behind to secure a well-deserved victory.

They are capable of causing problems for their heavyweight opponents and will be highly motivated to become the first Fulham side to reach a major final since 2010 when Roy Hodgson's Cottagers side suffered a 2-1 extra-time loss to Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final.

Liverpool are more used to competing on the big stage but they approach the capital clash with at least eight players ruled out.

The Merseysiders shrugged off their difficulties on Sunday in a 4-0 victory away to Bournemouth which extended their lead over Manchester City to five points, but the match was more competitive than the scoreline suggests and the swift return to action leaves little time for batteries to be recharged.

Liverpool deserve huge respect for getting to this stage of the season with only one domestic defeat – an infamous 2-1 loss at Tottenham when they had many reasons to bemoan match-changing decisions.

However, there is the potential for a slight drop in their intensity levels at Craven Cottage and that may be all the encouragement Fulham need to avoid a third successive defeat.

Key stat

Fulham have scored the first goal in five of their last six home games against Liverpool

Probable teams

Fulham (4-2-3-1): Leno; Tete, Tosin, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Cairney; Wilson, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez.
Subs: Rodak, Castagne, Lukic, De-Cordova Reid, Reed, Muniz Carvalho, Ream, Vinicius, Francois.

Liverpool (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Elliott; Diaz, Jota, Nunez.
Subs: Alisson, Gakpo, Quansah, Beck, Clark, Gordon, McConnell, Robertson, Jones.

Inside info

Fulham

Star man Joao Palhinha
Top scorer Raul Jimenez
Penalty taker Willian
Card magnet Joao Palhinha
Assist ace Andreas Pereira
Set-piece aerial threat Issa Diop

Liverpool

Star man Darwin Nunez
Top scorer Darwin Nunez
Penalty taker Darwin Nunez
Card magnet Alexis Mac Allister
Assist ace Darwin Nunez
Set-piece aerial threat Virgil van Dijk

Fulham v Liverpool bet builder predictions

Fulham or draw double chance
Fulham have been defeated in just one of their last six home fixtures and they can avoid a fourth successive loss in matches against Liverpool.

Raul Jimenez to score any time
The 32-year-old has scored four goals in his last three home appearances and is set to make his mark on the semi-final.

Joao Palhinha to be carded
The tough tackling Portuguese will be at the heart of efforts to stop Liverpool playing and he could collect his ninth yellow card of the campaign.

Price guide 15-1 

Grab £50 in Paddy Power football free bets on Fulham v Liverpool

We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering £50 in free bet builder bets when you bet £10 on Fulham v Liverpool in the EFL Cup.

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Paddy Power EFL Cup betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of this Paddy Power betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

• New customers only. Available to residents of UK or Ireland
• Open a new account using promo code YSKASB
• Deposit a minimum of £10 via cards (Apple Pay deposits excluded)
• Place a sports (Fixed odds) bet (minimum stake £10) on any football market, at odds of at least 2.0 (EVS)
• Qualifying bet needs to be settled before 23:59 on 01/03/2024
• Further T&Cs apply

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