Manchester City vs Liverpool: Two of the biggest teams in England will lock horns in the Carabao Cup when they face each other for the second time this season.
Pep Guardiola tactically defeated Chelsea at the Etihad to advance to the fourth round, and the Reds won on penalties against Derby County.
Match Preview
The Carabao Cup has always been a trophy Guardiola has admired since his time at Manchester City. In the last five seasons, the Spanish coach has won it, feeding in young and energetic players to get the result.
However, this season, Guardiola wants to focus on desirable trophies that can catapult Manchester City to the top of the world.
The manager wants to dethrone Arsenal, current Premier League leaders, and also has an eye on the Champions League title.
Manchester City’s last friendly match was filled with excitement as Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were on target against FC Girona.
Due to the concluded World Cup tournament, Guardiola claimed that he can only call four to five senior team players, including Julian Alvarez, to return to match duties next week.
Last season, Manchester City were eliminated by West Ham United in the fourth round via penalties, and the blue side of Manchester wouldn’t want to engage in penalties with Liverpool, who had proven they were always the superior team in terms of penalties.
In the previous season, Liverpool eliminated Chelsea on penalties in the Carabao Cup and FA Cup.
Liverpool had been struggling to get better results this season with most of their players sidelined by injuries.
The team had failed to get the desired results, but before the World Cup, Liverpool won four of their five matches. In friendly games during the 2022 World Cup, Liverpool lost to Olympic Lyon 3-1 and topped AC Milan 4-1, and then lost to Milan on penalties.
Team News
Julian Alvarez is out of the match due to his country being crowned the Champions of the World.
Manchester City players who did not go through the Round of 16 and Group Stage of the World Cup will return soon. The team doesn’t have any injury worries.
Liverpool’s Arthur, Diogo Jota, and Luis Diaz are still nursing their injuries and are likely to return in January.
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has already been ruled out of the Carabao Cup but may be available against Aston Villa in the Premier League.
Ibrahim Konate, who won a World Cup medal with France, is also out. However, English players who made quick return to the cup may play the match as a substitute.
Kick off Time
The Carabao Cup match will be played on December 21, 2022, in Etihad Stadium at 9:00 p.m.
Manchester City vs Liverpool Prediction
The match will be filled with young stars and a few big-name players. Manchester City’s young starlet, Lewis, is a top-notch right back capable of delivering the ball into the box.
Liverpool’s young stars, on the other hand, struggled to impress. Manchester City is more likely to win the match due to their home advantage over the Reds.
Prediction: Manchester City 2:1 Liverpool
