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Fulham vs Liverpool tips
- Fulham/draw double chance – 11/10 with William Hill
- Over 1.5 second half goals – 17/20 with Unibet
- Harvey Elliott over 0.5 shots on target – 6/5 with BetMGM
Liverpool’s quadruple dream is alive and well after rattling off five straight wins in all competitions and the EFL Cup could be the first piece in their trophy puzzle.
The Reds may already be thinking about a day out at Wembley after claiming a 2-1 win in the first leg of their semi-final against Fulham, putting them in the driver's seat for Wednesday's second leg at Craven Cottage (8pm, Sky Sports Main Event).
Football betting sites make Jurgen Klopp’s men a best price of 1/8 to finish the job and reach the final on February 25, while they are also odds-on with every bookmaker to lift the League Cup for a 10th time.
Liverpool are certainly flying right now, brushing aside Bournemouth 4-0 at the weekend to re-establish a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
Given Liverpool’s form and the fact only 24 out of 93 teams have ever overcome a first-leg deficit to reach the EFL Cup final, Fulham have their work cut out if they are to make their first-ever League Cup final.
But there’s reason for the Cottagers to be optimistic having asked questions of Liverpool in both previous meetings this season, while they have a strong record at home.
Fulham’s weekend off, compared to Liverpool facing Bournemouth and having to make the long trip back via coach because of Storm Isha, also works in the home side’s favour.
It will still be a big ask for Fulham to pull off a semi-final comeback, but Marco Silva’s men aren’t to be underestimated as we look at our three Fulham vs Liverpool betting tips.
Don’t count out Cottagers
Liverpool might be the form team in the country right now, but there’s little appeal to backing them on betting sites as odds-on favourites to win this second leg.
They clicked into gear in the second half against Bournemouth to see them off and the worry with going against them is their ability to raise their game and overwhelm their opponents.
That’s what happened in the second half of the first leg at Anfield with Fulham having gone in 1-0 up at the break, only to be besieged after the interval as Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo scored to turn the tie around.
The question is can Liverpool keep stepping up their performance levels when their resources are so stretched? They have recently had 11 days off, but were missing nine first team regulars at Bournemouth as Klopp filled his bench with kids.
He'll have Andy Robertson back for this tie but the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai are all absent, while Curtis Jones is a doubt. Those are some big misses against a good team in Fulham.
The Cottagers have played Liverpool well this season in the two clashes at Anfield, taking the lead twice before losing both fixtures, 4-3 and 2-1. The last time they met at Craven Cottage, the two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 in another clash where Fulham again took the lead.
You have to go back to 2011 for the last time Fulham beat Liverpool in west London but their record at home this season is good, winning five of the last six on their own patch and nine out of 13 overall.
Unlike Klopp, Silva has plenty of options to call upon and the tactically astute Portuguese has had the benefit of 11 days to work on his gameplan for this return leg.
It's worth bearing in mind Liverpool don’t need to win the game to advance to the final with a draw enough to take them through, and given how closely matched these two have been recently, a stalemate wouldn’t be a major shock.
With Fulham going along nicely in the league, this is a potentially season-defining game for them and a big effort can be expected. The Cottagers are good enough to at least avoid defeat and the Fulham/draw double chance at 11/10 with William Hill gets the nod as our first prediction.
Fulham vs Liverpool Tip 1: Fulham/draw double chance – 11/10 with William Hill
Expect late drama
Liverpool have failed to score in the first half of their last four games and yet have ended up scoring a combined 12 goals across those fixtures.
The Reds’ ability to turn it on after the break is remarkable with Klopp’s men having scored a massive 63.8 per cent of their league goals in the second half of games this season.
No one in the league has scored more goals (19) in the final 15 minutes of matches this season and in a tie so nicely poised as this one, we could get some late drama at Craven Cottage.
Fulham are a decent second half side themselves at home and 60 per cent of their league games at the Cottage this season have featured two or more goals after half-time.
Needing to win by two clear goals to qualify for the final without the need for penalties, Fulham could have to gamble in the second period, opening up the tie.
The potential is there for an exciting second half and over 1.5 second half goals at 17/20 with Unibet seems a fair price.
Fulham vs Liverpool Tip 2: Over 1.5 second half goals – 17/20 with Unibet
Elliott taking aim
With so many midfielders potentially missing for Liverpool, Harvey Elliott looks likely to make his fifth consecutive start on Wednesday.
The 20-year-old rarely finishes games, getting the hook in each of his last four outings, but uses his time on the field well in an attacking sense.
He’s currently on a streak of having at least one shot on goal in each of his last 11 games and has had an effort on target in seven of those appearances.
The former Fulham youngster, who made his professional debut aged 15 in the EFL Cup for the Cottagers, will no doubt be keen to make an impression on his old stomping ground and his prices to have a shot on target catches the eye when looking at betting apps.
Fulham vs Liverpool Tip 3: Harvey Elliott over 0.5 shots on target – 6/5 with BetMGM
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BoyleSports have enhanced their sign up offer specifically for the EFL Cup semi-final, offering a £30 bonus and the chance to get 18/1 on a treble of Liverpool to win, both teams to score and Cody Gakpo to score first.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
