Arsenal visits Liverpool tomorrow night in a match-up that is pretty exciting as far as EFL Cup round of 16 matches go. Between this clash and the Manchester United-Chelsea tie, this round promises to be a compelling one; at least on paper.
It should be fun so let’s take a look at the team news, starting with the hosts. It’s a case of good news and bad news, so we’ll give you the bad news first. Central defender Joel Matip has suffered a knee injury that will keep him out for awhile.
The Liverpool Echo says a time table is not determined at this time, but the London Evening Standard reports that the 28-year-old could miss up to six weeks. Either way, he’s set to meet some crunch clashes, including the Nov 10 showdown with Manchester City.
As for the good news, Mo Salah was forced to limp off the pitch with just five minutes left in Sunday’s win over Tottenham Hotspur. He was seen sporting an ice pack wrapped around his ankle, while centre back supreme Virgil van Dijk was seen with an ice pack on his leg.
They’re both fine and in contention for Wednesday night.
“Virgil has got a dead leg. It’s painful but he will be fine,” Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp told reporters, “and Mo is his ankle, it gets sore the longer the game goes but it is not a massive issue.”
For Arsenal, the only injury absentee is Reiss Nelson.
However, team captain Granit Xhaka could be suspended/benched for this match (or more), if/when he is punished for his outburst on the weekend.
Arsenal at Liverpool FC FYIs
Kickoff: Wednesday Oct 30, 8:30 BST, Anfield
Starting XI Predictions: Arsenal Liverpool
TV: Sky Sports Main Event
Referee: Andre Marinner
Prediction: Liverpool 3, Arsenal 0
Liverpool have won 14 straight at Anfield going back to February 27. The last time they didn’t win on Merseyside was against Bayern Munich in the Champions League Round of 16. And as you might have heard, Arsenal has some issues with their road form to say the least.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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