Liverpool host Swansea City Tuesday night at Anfield in the Capital One Cup Fourth Round, and Brendan Rodgers side will be looking to get back to winning ways following an inconsistent disappointing start to the season, coming off the back of a goal-less draw with Hull City Saturday.
Liverpool’s season has failed to get going yet in all competitions, as last season’s achievements and tantalising play style looks so long ago following the departure of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, Mario Balotelli has struggled with just one goal so far in a red shirt, and the pressure is beginning to build upon the side.
In the last round, Rodger’s side needed a Capital One Cup record penalty shootout to get past Championship high-fliers Middlesbrough at Anfield 14-13 last month, after the second tier club came from behind twice, Patrick Bamford in the 120th minute to take the game to a shootout, which was eventually settled by Albert Adomah’s miss from the spot on the 30th kick. Liverpool’s 14-13 victory equalled the British record for the highest-scoring post-match contest, which was set back in 2011 when Dagenham and Rebridge squeezed past Leyton Orient in a London derby shootout.
As for the Swans, they will be travelling to Anfield with full optimism that they can return to Wales in the competitions quarter-finals following an impressive start to the season. Gary Monk has begun to get his side playing in the way he wants them to after a wobbly second half of last season after Michael Laudrup’s departure. Swansea sit in a healthy 6th position after a convincing 2-0 win over Leicester this weekend, bouncing back after a run of five games without victory. The 2012-13 holders know all about beating Merseyside clubs in this competition, the last time these two sides met, Swansea beat them 1-3 at Anfield back in October 2012. Monk’s side also beat Everton by the same score-line this season, in the Third Round of the competition at the Liberty Stadium, and he has told press this week that they will be going all out for the win, with nothing to lose.
Team News:
Liverpool:
Brendan Rodgers in anticipated to make lots of changes ahead of a tight fixture schedule in recent forthcoming weeks, involving a Champions League trip to the Bernebeu next week also. Lazar Markovic, Suso and Kolo Toure are likely to start. Daniel Sturridge and Jon Flanagan remain side-lined from long term injuries; Mamadou Sakho is out for a further week with a calf injury.
Swansea:
Gary Monk is expected to name a strong Swansea side as he prepares to renew acquaintances with his former manager Brendan Rodgers. Gerhard Tremmel has started Swansea’s two previous League Cup ties this season and is likely to replace Fabianski in between the sticks. Gylfi Sigurdsson who limped off against Leicester City Saturday and Wayne Routledge are likely to be given breathers following heavy workloads so far this season.