Liverpool beat Bournemouth in the Carabao Cup and remain unbeaten in their last six matches. Their next assignment is Premier League new boys Luton Town. Luton Town have had good results against Wolves, Everton and Nottingham Forest so far this season.
The Reds are currently fourth in the table, ahead of Manchester City and Arsenal and three points behind leaders Tottenham Hotspur. The aim this season is to finish in the top four, but the chance to win the title is not inevitable for Liverpool.
For Luton the mission is very different but the pressure is similar. The Hatters will be hoping to survive their first season in the Premier League and avoid immediate relegation to the Championship.
They are currently 18th in the table but one point behind Bournemouth in the safety zone.liverpool team newsJurgen Klopp was forced to substitute Kostas Tsimikas at left-back as Andrew Robertson recovered from shoulder surgery. The Greece international could be one of the few players to return to the starting line-up for Wednesday’s game against Bournemouth.
Klopp decided to rest several key players for the game against Cherries, including benching Virgil van Dijk and leaving Alisson out of the squad. Thiago, who is yet to feature for Manchester United this season, is recovering from hip surgery at the end of last season.
Fortunately, Liverpool have midfield options through summer signings and can even rotate in cup competitions. The front three managed to shift gears, especially in the absence of Luis Diaz. The Colombian resigned from his role at Liverpool amid concerns over his father’s whereabouts after both his parents were kidnapped. Darwin Nunes is really finding his groove now and has scored seven goals and provided five assists in all competitions this season.
Many feared he would not be able to live up to his £85m contract, but it took some time. Despite the Reds victory in the Carabao Cup, it is hard to see Klopp leaving his last Premier League side. The biggest debate may be around the choice of Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip as Dijk’s partners, but the former started against Everton and Forest so gets the nod. Overall, it will be a big change for the team that faced Bournemouth.
LIVERPOOL PREDICTED TEAM
Allison Becker; Trent Alexander-Arnold, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Kostas Tsimikas; Alexis McAllister, Dominic Szoboslay, Ryan Gravenburch; Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunes. Luton cannot be underestimatedOften at the start of a new season, a newly promoted team is expected to be a strong contender to return to.
A move to England’s top flight is not for the faint of heart and with Luton having never competed in the Premier League before, many expected them to be relegated initially. However, the hat held up well in some very tough games.
It was a big statement for Luton to beat Everton, who have a big point to prove by avoiding a relegation battle once again. They also drew 1-1 with Wolves and restricted Spurs to just one goal in the defeat earlier this month.
Rob Edwards and his team will no doubt have thought of Liverpool and their style of play, so Luton will plan to avoid Klopp’s attacks as best they can. The Caps are currently dealing with a number of serious injuries, but have adjusted well despite bearing the brunt of the blowout.
THE EXPECTED LUTON TOWN TEAM
Thomas Kaminsky; Teden Mengi, Tom Lockyer, Gabriel Osho; Issa Kabore, the amazing Nakamba, Ross Barkley, Alfie Duthie; Jacob Brown, Kidoji Ogben, Carlton Morris.
