Liverpool FC vs Derby County (Match Preview)
By Mert Ahmet
The Reds begin their League Cup defence at Anfield as they host League One side Derby County in the third round.
In the 2021-22 Carabao Cup final, Liverpool defeated Chelsea on penalties after a goalless draw. Jurgen Klopp’s men won 11-10 in the dramatic shoot-out as Caoimhin Kelleher scored the winning goal from the spot kick to become a cult hero. He is set to make his return in a Liverpool shirt against Derby County since that historic victory.
It has been a rollercoaster of a season for the German’s side but they ended a two-game losing streak in the Premier League after Mohamed Salah scored a brace against Spurs in the previous fixture.
"2022-07-21 Fußball, Männer,Freundschaftsspiel, RB Leipzig - FC Liverpool 1DX 2243 by Stepro" by Steffen Prößdorf is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
As for The Rams, they are finding their new division difficult to adapt to since their relegation from the Championship following a points deduction. Derby County currently sit seventh in the League One table and have won one game in their previous five fixtures.
Therefore, it is no surprise that Warne’s men are heading into this game as the underdogs but due to the hosts recent busy run of games, Jurgen Klopp is expected to substantially rotate his side. The Reds will play their final Premier League game before the World Cup against Southampton so the likes of Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker are all expected to be rested.
Consequently, Liverpool’s extensive list of injuries continues as they will be without Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Joel Matip, Arthur Melo, James Milner, and Naby Keita. However, the likes of Calvin Ramsay, Fabio Carvalho, Curtis Jones, and Kostas Tsimikas are all in contention to feature.
Jurgen Klopp’s assistant Pepijn Lijnders mentioned the necessity for “freshness” and described the tournament as “a competition we love” as Liverpool have won it nine times which is more than any other English club.
Derby County will be with the support of more than 5,600 fans in Liverpool as they look to cause an upset. Pepijn Lijnders was full of praise towards the opposition as he mentioned that The Rams have “really good talents” going into the fixture.
The Head Coach of the League One side Paul Warne was handed a boost as Eiran Cashin’s red card at Torquay was overturned. Thus, meaning that he is available for selection.
The Rams advanced to this stage by beating Mansfield Town 2-1 away from home in round one and then seeing off West Bromwich Albion 1-0 at home. In the pre-match conference, Paul Warne said “I’ve had the fortune of playing at Anfield in the FA Cup and I know what it meant to my family watching me play there and it definitely got an extra 10% out of me. I hope the same can be said for our players.”
In the previous League Cup meetings between the two sides, Liverpool were victorious with a 2-0 win at home in 1977-78 and a 3-0 away win in the 2016-17 season. Although, The Rams’ last win at Anfield was in the top flight in November 1998, when goals from Kevin Harper and Paolo Wanchope secured a 2-1 result.
This competition is full of twists and turns and it will be exciting to see how last year’s winners will fair in this season’s Carabao Cup following their difficult start to the campaign.
"2022-07-21 Fußball, Männer,Freundschaftsspiel, RB Leipzig - FC Liverpool 1DX 2182 by Stepro" by Steffen Prößdorf is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.