Topic: LFC vs Fulham League Cup Semi Final 1st Leg 20:00 Weds 10th Jan 2024

[RogerTheRed]

Come on Redmen!!

Here we are, two games against Fulham away from another final and possibly another chance to sing along with Dua Lipa at Wembley. I was there is 2022 and I want to be there again. Strangely we may be playing Chelsea there again. We must not get ahead of ourselves though. Fulham are playing pretty decent football at the moment and gave us a real test when we won 4-3 with four long strikes.
It is going to be a cold one again tomorrow and I am in A03 on the new Anny Rd Upper so will expect to follow Jurgen's advice and sing my heart out despite being asked not to stand??
Fulham played their FA 3rd round on Friday and were at home against a lesser team and as a result will be better rested than our squad. They also have the advantage of a home match for the second leg in two weeks time. They plan good passing football and Jimenez is starting to show his best form again after a long recovery from his head injury. They also have pacy full backs, a good midfield and some threat across the squad.
We are facing the lengthy injury list that we are all aware of, along with the two absentees for AFCON and Asia Cup. However, we do get a week off after this match and so one more push us required.
I hope VVD will be fit again and also that the virus does not affect any others in the squad. The back four against Arsenal played well but we were looking lacking in options when Quansah went down in the first half on Sunday and so an extra body there would feel more comfortable.
Midfield is likely to be Gravenberch, Mac Allister and Jones and up front I think we go with Elliott right again and Jota and Gakpo starting as the other two played 100 minutes on Sunday.
So, lets get into the ground before 7:30 and sing the Reds onto the pitch and support them into a big enough lead that we take any real jeopardy out of the second leg. I predict a 2-0 win.
Any thoughts???

[duvva 💅]

Thanks for the OP Roger.

I agree we want to try and hit them hard in the first leg if possible. Anything that gives us an opportunity to possibly rest a few for the second leg.
I suspect the reality however will be two close legs particularly as they are better rested and prepared for this as you mention.

Don’t think we’ll change much from Sunday team wise, just don’t have the availability to make more than 2 or 3 changes.

Presuming Kelleher plays as it’s the League Cup. Jota and Gravenberch may come in as well just to try and keep things fresher.

Think this will be quite tight, but hopefully we can take a one or two goal advantage back there in a fortnight.

[DelTrotter]

10 pick themselves you'd think (unless we are extra cautious with Ibou), with just 1 central midfield spot up for grabs next to Curtis and Mac. Triple D up top will light them up. Think we'll go through whatever the score is here but would be nice to lead by a couple going there.

[Crosby Nick]

Looking forward to this, love the League Cup. I’ve never seen the Reds in an FA Cup final but made it to Cardiff for three League Cup finals and then the 2012 final against Cardiff too. One of my favourite memories from 00/01 was that 5-0 semi final win over Palace when we blew them away. We’d beaten Fulham the round before too.

I assume we’ll go as strong as we’re able to, given we have a little break after this one. You’d hope Virgil comes back and then it’s maybe just a question of whether Gomez gets a rest and one of the younger lads gets a go at full back.

Midfield you’d think would be the same that started against Arsenal given they were all subbed off (actually getting muddled, but I mean Mac, Jones and Elliott). Diaz looked good on the right, Jota looked sharp and ready to start. Plenty of options.

Always tricky to know what to hope for from a home first leg. Two years ago we drew with Arsenal and won away so I wouldn’t fear needing to go to Fulham and win but any kind of lead to take there would be great.

A repeat of when we played them over two legs in 86/87 would be nice - we beat them 10-0 at home (McMahon with 4!) and won 3-2 away. Would anyone else settle for a 13-2 aggregate win?

[Jm55]

Is Van Dijk expected back for this one?

[stonecold_jpm]

Kelleher
Bradley
Konate
Virgil
Gomez
Trent
Macca
Gravenberch
Diaz
Jota
Nunez

[RogerTheRed]

Is Van Dijk expected back for this one?

Presser is at 1:30, guess we will find out then. He was in training video on Friday so must have only got it on Saturday? Guess that makes him doubtful if he looked "shit" then :-)

[RogerTheRed]

As an aside, What has happened to A red abroad? Always found his access to the embargo press conferences really useful? Has he been banned from sharing?

[MD1990]

team my guess

----kelleher

Trent --Konate---VVD/Quansah--Gomez
---------Mac Allistar------
----Eliott---Jones
Diaz----Nunez---Jota

Think after hos goal we will try Diaz on the right could be a swithc with Jota though

[ConqueredAllOfEurope]

After tomorrow, won't have a game till the 21st. So I'm hoping we go strong as possible and go a few ahead before the 2nd leg. Would be nice to get a trophy early in the season!

[Funky_Gibbons]

team my guess

Trent --Konate---VVD/Quansah--Gomez
---------Mac Allistar------
----Eliott---Jones
Diaz----Nunez---Jota

Think after hos goal we will try Diaz on the right could be a swithc with Jota though

I'd be shocked if Nunez starts after playing 90+ minutes against Arsenal and putting quite a shift in.

Reckon it'll be Elliot, Jota and Gakpo. 

[Stevo79]

I'd be shocked if Elliott plays in that forward position again this season.

[kaesarsosei]

Kelleher will get this one won't he?

Aside from that, the only other decisions are:

Alongside VVD - I personally would go Quanseh as I feel he merits being in the rotation despite Konate's worldie performance on Sun and even though we have a good break after this I don't want to take any risks with Konate until at least one of our LBs is fit.

MF - Mac Allister and Jones should be auto-starts. Toss up between Gakpo and Gravenberch for me after that

Front 3 - personally I would give Elliott a go in Salah's spot and go with Nunez on the left and Jota through the middle but to be honest nearly any combination of our options here makes me happy.

[Too early for flapjacks?]

I'd expect Kelleher, van Djik, Gravenberch, and Jota, to all come in. No other changes.

[Elzar]

I'd be shocked if Elliott plays in that forward position again this season.

Would be fine playing there against a lower block, especially with Szoboszlai on that side too. He didn't have the pace to play there against Arsenal, as we needed quick forwards to use on the counter.

[Elzar]

Trent was limping at the end of the game at the weekend. Hopefully just a bit of cramp or similar, but would be happy to see Bradley given the game with the rest of the team strong.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

No reason not to go full strength again, other than bringing in Kelleher. One more big effort and then 10 days without a match.

Hopefully we also go with three attackers upfront rather than trying to shoe-horn Elliott in as a right forward.

Joe Gomez will also be making his 200th appearance for us.. 200th game and his 1st goal I'm sure!

[Buck Pete]

Looking forward to this.  Especially as we have no game at the weekend.

Love midweek cup games under the lights.

Also, recently I've taken to having one of those Scouse Pies at night games.  Fucking lovely they are.  £4.50 well spent

[thaddeus]

I expect we will go really strong for this one because of how the fixtures fall.  After Wednesday we don't play again until the 21st whilst the second leg is the midweek between an away league game at Bournemouth and the FA Cup tie.  Fulham's winter break week is the opposite to ours so they have an 11 day break prior to the second leg.

If any of our players are in "the red zone" then they will be rested but otherwise we should be looking to get a few goals to the good before the inevitably grim return trip to Full-um, Full-um, Full-um.

[tubby]

We'll definitely go strong for this one with the break coming up.  We'll want to put the tie to bed in this first game if possible, which'll give us options for the away leg.

[Higgins79]

A really strong side please red men. If we can take a 2-3 goal lead into the second leg then, along with a relatively easy FA cup draw, we would give ourselves some breathing space towards the back end of the month in terms of rotation and prioritising the league games.

I guess the two questions are 1) is VVD better and able to start and 2) can Gomez go again?

I think giving Gomez a well earned rest might be the prudent thing to do and Bradley deserves a chance, which would give us fresh legs out wide. He might think two young fullbacks is a step too far, but id go...

             Kelleher
Bradley Ibu   VVD   Beck
               Trent
      Mac Allister  Jones
    Diaz     Jota    Nunez

[duvva 💅]

Also, recently I've taken to having one of those Scouse Pies at night games.  Fucking lovely they are.  £4.50 well spent

Vegan Scouse from Homebaked is the only way to go 

[BigCDump]

I expect we will go really strong for this one because of how the fixtures fall.  After Wednesday we don't play again until the 21st whilst the second leg is the midweek between an away league game at Bournemouth and the FA Cup tie.  Fulham's winter break week is the opposite to ours so they have an 11 day break prior to the second leg.

If any of our players are in "the red zone" then they will be rested but otherwise we should be looking to get a few goals to the good before the inevitably grim return trip to Full-um, Full-um, Full-um.

Conversely Fulham have a tough 12.30 Sat kickoff against Chelsea straight after the first leg. It's all about balancing risk of injury and rewards.

[naka]

with an 11 day rest we should  be relatively strong in this match
would say the the boss will give the guys a break for at least 5/6 days to recharge their batteries
my team.
kelleher
trent, vvd, quansah gomez
gravenbech, mc allister jones
diaz, jota  nunez

[Jm55]

Fulham's away form is pretty ropey at present with 3-0 defeats at Newcastle and Bournemouth in December, the only away games which they've actually won all season are away at Everton (once in the league and once on pens in the League Cup) and away at Ipswich in the league cup.

You'd hope that we can take the opportunity to get a bit of an advantage to take to Craven Cottage as that has the potential to be really tricky if they manage to essentially turn it into a one legged tie at their place which would happen if they got a draw or somethig.

[thaddeus]

Conversely Fulham have a tough 12.30 Sat kickoff against Chelsea straight after the first leg. It's all about balancing risk of injury and rewards.

That was my point although poorly expressed  .  We hold the advantage in the first leg - beyond just the advantage of being at home - so should be looking to maximise it.  There's no realistic score-line that puts the tie completely to bed but going down to London a few goals ahead would make our lives a lot easier.

[disgraced cake]

Huge game and a great chance to continue our lovely start to 2024. The league game was tough but our problems were of our own making so if we can cut down on that here then we should be able to pick up a first leg win. I think we can beat them by more than a goal which would be very nice given we're away from home 2nd leg, it won't be easy but wouldn't it just be nice to win by three goals or something so they can take their eye off it in the return game a bit and we can make changes. Regardless, I'd expect to see a full strength side in both matches, these are our biggest games thus far.

Kelleher
Trent   Konate   VVD   Gomez
Mac Allister
Gravenberch   Jones
Diaz   Jota   Nunez

Fulham will try to benefit from a frantic game as they almost did in early December, the defence and Kelleher will need better games than they produced that day. Personally I'd stick with Alisson but this has been Kelleher's starting opportunity over the last four years or so, but he'll play in the next round of the FA Cup anyway I'd think given the weaker opposition. Should mostly pick itself though I wouldn't be surprised to see the likes of Elliot or Gakpo start. This should be a huge chance for some of the newer lads who've not won anything with us yet to take a step towards doing so.

[MonsLibpool]

Kelleher

Bradley Ibou (sorry Ibou but you have to play) Virg Gomez

Jones Mac Elliott (we don't have a lot of options really)

Diaz (he looked good on the right) Darwin Jota

[classycarra]

Crossing fingers everyone came through the weekend unscathed enough to be in consideration, and Virgil looks less "like shit", I'd be hoping for something like this

Kelleher
Trent   Quansah   VVD   Gomez
Elliot    Mac   Jones
Jota   Gakpo   Diaz

I'd start Elliot over Grav, but since he played 75 minutes I could see Grav come in (likewise for Jones).
Since Jones covered the deepest role when Mac had to go off, there's a chance he's saved for the second half (with Grav starting fresh)
I''d also be happy enough with Bradley or Beck/Chambers coming in for one of the fullbacks - Trent and Gomez are the two I'm most concerned about coming through the game.
Because Jota and Mac will have their minutes managed, you'd guess Jota goes off for Nunez and Mac goes off for Grav (if it's the first mid sub).
Then you'd think Clark/McConnell and Bradley (or other fb) would be the third and fourth subs.
Fifth sub if it happens could be Konate for dealing with long balls, Nyoni for a cameo (would it break any record?), or whichever other young player wasnt already brought on.

[MrGrumpy]

Kelleher

Alexander Arnold
Konate
Quansah
Beck

Mac Allister
Jones
Elliott


Diaz
Gakpo
Nunez

[phil236849]

Trent out apparently

[Nick110581]

Trent out for a few weeks with knee injury

[DelTrotter]

What we've done this season is pretty incredible given we're ravaged by injury in every game, you don't hear the end of it when Newcastle or Spurs get an injury. Luckily we've got by far the best squad in the country.

[classycarra]

Crossing fingers everyone came through the weekend unscathed enough to be in consideration, and Virgil looks less "like shit", I'd be hoping for something like this

Kelleher
Trent   Quansah   VVD   Gomez
Elliot    Mac   Jones
Jota   Gakpo   Diaz

I'd start Elliot over Grav, but since he played 75 minutes I could see Grav come in (likewise for Jones).
Since Jones covered the deepest role when Mac had to go off, there's a chance he's saved for the second half (with Grav starting fresh)
I''d also be happy enough with Bradley or Beck/Chambers coming in for one of the fullbacks - Trent and Gomez are the two I'm most concerned about coming through the game.
Because Jota and Mac will have their minutes managed, you'd guess Jota goes off for Nunez and Mac goes off for Grav (if it's the first mid sub).
Then you'd think Clark/McConnell and Bradley (or other fb) would be the third and fourth subs.
Fifth sub if it happens could be Konate for dealing with long balls, Nyoni for a cameo (would it break any record?), or whichever other young player wasnt already brought on.

well after the news our least covered player got injured in the fa cup, Bradley has to make his first start with the starters (outside of the makeshift dead rubber). Guess there's an off chance this spooks us into taking no risks with Gomez, and leave him on the bench

[Nick110581]

Trent aim to be back for Arsenal away?

[YNWA.A]

Trent injury is a major blow.

[1892tillforever]

I had a quick look at our history, and we have a seriously impressive semi-final record. I think we have been in 57 semi-finals before this one, (not including the World Club tournament, where we were already at that stage at the start), and have got to the final on 42 occasions. Being in that many semi-finals and finals is a bit mental 

Trent out for a few weeks with knee injury

FFS 

Only the Saudis, Spurs and United have injury problems though.

[Zlen]

Trent aim to be back for Arsenal away?

Big fat maybe on that one.
It's his knee. These are the injuries that casually slip form few weeks to few months very often.
So here's hoping, but nothing is certain.

[peachybum]

Big opportunity for Conor Bradley now. Gomez has to cover left back so Bradley pretty much has to play.

Way back when Trent got a chance through Clyne(i think) getting injured and took it so lets hope that happens. It won't help that there's no Dom and Salah on the right side to support him mind.

[vicar]

Also, recently I've taken to having one of those Scouse Pies at night games.  Fucking lovely they are.  £4.50 well spent

Did you ever try The Barnes, not sure if they are still doing it - but was a spicy jerk chicken. The Chicken curry is nice too!
Will be in the queue on weds!