In an extremely bizarre turn of events, Liverpool will be sending a youthful looking second-string to Villa Park for their League Cup quarter-final clash against Aston Villa this evening. That is because their first-team are otherwise engaged, competing in the Club World Cup in Qatar.
In truth, it’s all a bit of a shambles. Why this competition is held midway through the domestic campaign is somewhat confusing to begin with. It always throws up complications for the English sides competing in it and here we are again, with Liverpool set to field a mixture of their reserves and Under-18s against Dean Smith’s men, while the senior squad travel to the middle east, just a week before Christmas.
The Reds will likely claim their first piece of silverware this season out in Qatar, but can their youngsters keep them on course for League Cup success at the same time? As we have already seen in the previous two rounds against MK Dons and Arsenal, Jurgen Klopp’s second-string have plenty of quality and the ability to beat sides in this competition.
Indeed, both of the aforementioned matches did still see the inclusion of some of the club’s senior squad, albeit fringe players such as Adam Lallana, Dejan Lovren, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Divock Origi. Tonight, not one of those players will be present in the West Midlands as they have all travelled to Qatar, leaving 19-year-old Rhian Brewster and 16-year-old Harvey Elliott – both of whom have made just two senior appearances for Liverpool – as the most experienced members included in this evening’s matchday squad.
| Tuesday – 7.45pm | Odds | Bets |
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa v Liverpool – 17/12/2019 | ||
| Aston Villa to win & BTTS Best Bet | 5/4 |  |
| Correct score: Aston Villa 3-1 Liverpool | 9/1 |  |
Odds correct as of 2019-12-17 15:59:50
Of the seven goals that Liverpool have scored in this season’s competition so far, only one has come from a player who is likely to feature tonight – 17-year-old right-back Ki-Jana Hoever. The main goalscoring threat will be Brewster, who is tipped for stardom at Anfield in the future. Murmurs of the teen joining Swansea City or Preston North End on loan in January are currently rife in the media, though as things stand he is at Liverpool and will carry the weight of expectation on his shoulders when the Reds take to the field at Villa Park later.
The hosts are expected to rest some of their biggest names ahead of their six-pointer against Southampton on Saturday, with Dean Smith set to hand starts to some of his lesser-used players. Henri Lansbury, Neil Taylor and Jonathan Kodija are likely to be among those names, all of which have plenty of top-flight experience and quality but have seen regular game-time difficult to come by this season. It is nowhere near the same as their opponents, who will have an average of around 18 this evening, but does perhaps suggest that the Reds could find some joy against a makeshift side who haven’t played with each other all too much this time out.
Liverpool score goals, regardless of who is on the field of play. Rhian Brewster may lack experience at first-team level but he has been in inspired form for the club’s Under-23s this term, scoring 4 times in 7 appearances in Premier League 2 this term. The 19-year-old will be desperate to prove that he has what it takes to lead the line for Liverpool and will know that Jurgen Klopp and the rest of the first-team squad will be eagerly watching on from the other side of the world; it could just give him that extra edge.
Villa will not want to be humiliated by such an inexperienced Liverpool outfit, however, and will fancy themselves to go far in this year’s League Cup considering they will book themselves a spot in the semi-finals with a win tonight. That, and the fact that the Villans are on home soil will probably prove the decider come full-time. Whatever happens, though, it should be an extremely interesting spectacle, and we’re ready to watch it all unfold.
| Tuesday – 7.45pm | Odds | Bets |
|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa v Liverpool – 17/12/2019 | ||
| Aston Villa to win & BTTS Best Bet | 5/4 | |
| Correct score: Aston Villa 3-1 Liverpool | 9/1 | |
Odds correct as of 2019-12-17 15:59:50