England EFL Cup, Round of 8 (31.10 -01.11)

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Bournemouth vs Liverpool Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Bournemouth:
Radu; Smith, Zabarnyi, Mepham, Kerkez; Rothwell, Billing; Ouattara, Semenyo, Sinisterra; Solanke

Liverpool:
Kelleher; Gomez, Quansah, Matip, Chambers; Wataru Endo, McConnell, Jones; Elliott, Nunez, Gakpo

Bournemouth will host Liverpool at the Vitality Stadium on Wednesday night in the EFL Cup fourth-round clash. The Cherries have eliminated Swansea and Stoke City in the previous knockout stages, winning 3:2 and 2:0 respectively. The goals against the Swans were scored by David Brooks, Hamed Traore Junior and Ryan Christie, while Dominic Solanke and Joe Rothwell found the back of the net against the Potters. Those were the only victories for Bournemouth in the new season until the last weekend. On Saturday they registered the first Premier League success, beating Burnley with 2:1. It was a tough match as the Cherries went behind after just 11 minutes, but Antoine Semenyo equalized in 22nd minute, while Philip Billing secured three points with his long-range stunner. Manager Andoni Iraola is still under big pressure, though it is much easier now as Bournemouth are out of the relegation zone. Tyler Adams, Emiliano Marcondes, Ryan Fredericks and first-choice goalkeeper Neto remain sidelined due to injuries, while Lewis Cook must serve the second of a three-game ban for his red card against the Wolves. Finally, Marcos Senesi and Max Aarons are both rated as doubtful.

Liverpool are solid in the new season, much better then the previous one. They are sitting fourth on the table with 23 points, three less than league leaders Tottenham. According to some pundits, the situation should be opposite. The reason is connect with the Tottenham's narrow victory over Liverpool in September, marked by huge referees mistake. Luis Diaz scored a goal that was initially disallowed for offside, but the replays showed he was actually onside. Nevertheless, for the first time in VAR history, the match continued with offside as a final decision. To be worse, Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota were sent-off, while Joel Matip scored an own-goal deep into the stoppage time and Liverpool lost the match. However, the undeserved defeat did not affect the atmosphere in the squad and Liverpool won four of the next five league fixtures, plus all three in Europe League, beating LASK Linz, Union Royale and Toulouse. Klopp will try to continue the successful series, but has four injury worries - Andy Robertson, Stefan Bajcetic, Thiago Alcantara and Ben Doak are all injured. Curtis Jones has completed his suspension and should start here, while the situation with Luis Diaz is still complicate. He wasn't involved against Nottingham Forest following news of his parents' kidnapping, and most probably won't play here too.

Bournemouth vs Liverpool Prediction:

I expect both teams to score at the Vitality Stadium. Bournemouth have already faced Liverpool this season, in the Premier League's second round. The match played at Anfield in August ended 3:1 for the Reds. Now the Cherries are hosts, while Klopp is expected to rest many of his key players. That includes all four defenders - Trent, Konate, Van Dijk and Robertson, plus the goalkeeper Alisson. The Cherries could benefit from the absence of the mentioned defenders.

Bournemouth vs Liverpool Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.75 with Pinnacle