The 2022 FIFA World Cup is firmly in the past and the 2022/23 domestic campaign picks up where it left off almost six weeks ago.
Although not a Premier League fixture, two of the very best teams in England come together as Manchester City take on Liverpool in the League Cup fourth round.
The Reds are the defending champions of the Carabao Cup while the Citizens won each of the previous four editions of the competition.
Only one of Man City and Liverpool can progress to the quarter-finals, with the draw set to be held directly after Thursday’s tie at the Etihad Stadium.
For either team this is a golden opportunity to bag the first piece of silverware of the season, with the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham already eliminated.
This forthcoming tie will be a fifth meeting between the teams in 2022 and a fourth different competition in which they face one another this calendar year.
Man City are winless in five matches versus Liverpool, with Jürgen Klopp’s men picking up victory in each of their last three clashes. The last time they met in this competition was in 2016 as the Sky Blues beat the Reds on penalties in the final.
Neither Klopp nor Pep Guardiola have gone head-to-head with another manager more times than they have one another. In their 26 previous meetings, Klopp has got the better of his long-time adversary on 12 occasions. The German coach has lost nine times to his Spanish counterpart, with five draws between the pair.
(Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Both sides will fancy their chances on Thursday, though particularly Liverpool who retained more players during the World Cup, relative to other clubs towards the top end of the Premier League table.
Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, Thiago, Andrew Robertson and Joel Matip all remained behind while others represented their countries on the world stage. James Milner, Naby Keïta, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones and Fabio Carvalho also stayed put during these past five weeks.
Trent Alexander-Arnold featured sporadically for England, as did Fabinho with Brazil. Darwin Nunez and Uruguay crashed out of Qatar 2022 after failing to advance to the knockouts. Diogo Jota and Luis Díaz missed the showpiece event through injury and both players remain sidelined.
In the Man City camp, star striker Erling Haaland sat out the World Cup as his native Norway failed to qualify, and likewise for Riyad Mahrez and Algeria. Kevin De Bruyne, meanwhile, exited the tournament at the group stage with Belgium, as did Ilkay Gündogan and Germany.
Those who missed out on the World Cup, such as Haaland and Salah, would’ve used this time off to recuperate and prepare for another gruelling period ahead. Haaland has scored 23 goals in 17 games (all competitions) this term, while Salah has 13 goals in 20 matches.
Liverpool’s only remaining absentee to the World Cup is France defender Ibrahima Konate. Man City forward Julian Alvarez is also unavailable as he continues celebrations with his Argentina teammates following the South Americans’ first World Cup success since 1986.
Man City are 1.70 to win and knock out their modern foes. Liverpool are priced at a generous 4.50, with 4.00 odds for the tie to end all square and be decided on penalties. (Bet365)
Kick-off is at 20H00 GMT.
(Cover photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
