Liverpool have the chance to reach their second Carabao Cup final in three years on Wednesday evening when they take on Fulham in the semi-final second leg.
After going behind, goals from Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo handed Liverpool a 2-1 win in the first leg at Anfield, which ensured they took a big step toward the final at Wembley next month. The win means that all the Reds need to do tonight is not lose, and if they do so, they will book a spot in the showpiece against Chelsea.
Clashes between Liverpool and Fulham have been extremely close over the years. The last time the Reds beat the Cottagers by more than a one-goal margin was back in 2013.
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So how will this evening's match go? Let's take a look.
We simulated Fulham vs Liverpool to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 24 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Fulham could set up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Leno; Castagne, Adarabioyo, Diop, Robinson; Palhinha, Reed; Cordova-Reid, Pereira, Willian; Jimenez.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Gomez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Gakpo, Nunez, Jota.
Gakpo was soon causing problems on the right of the attack and the Dutchman got the Reds off to the perfect start after nine minutes when he met Diogo Jota's fizzed pass into the box at the back post and fired his shot into the bottom corner of the net. With the early goal, Liverpool gained momentum, and just before the break, they grabbed a second to make it 4-1 on aggregate.
Jota was heavily involved in every attack, and the forward did well to beat his man down the left before cutting back and sliding a pass into the path of Darwin Nunez. After one touch out of his feet, the striker rifled a powerful strike into the top corner, leaving Bernd Leno no chance in goal.
There was no missing Mohamed Salah once again as Liverpool looked dangerous in attack, with Gakpo, Nunez and Jota all linking up well and creating plenty of chances. And the Reds managed to grab a third goal in the 74th minute, all but securing their spot in the Carabao Cup final.
A one-two between Ryan Gravenberch and Conor Bradley saw the latter surge down the right in space, and a smart flick from the defender found Gakpo in the box. Under pressure, the Dutchman snatched at his strike, but it worked in his favour as his shot whistled past Leno and into the top corner from a tight angle.
Fulham managed to pull a goal back in the 83rd minute when Andreas Pereira slid home a cross from close range, but it proved nothing more than a consolation goal as the Reds won 3-1 on the night.
EA FC 24 predicted final score: Fulham 1-3 Liverpool (Liverpool win 5-2 on aggregate)
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments!
