Carabao Cup fourth-round draw LIVE – Chelsea, Arsenal, Man United and Liverpool learn next opponents
Plenty of big clubs are left in the draw hoping to replace Liverpool as champions
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The draw for the Carabao Cup fourth round took place at the culmination of the clash between Liverpool and West Ham at Anfield on Wednesday night - the last of the scheduled fixtures in the third round, which was spread over two midweeks.
However, one more game will need to be played out to complete the round, after AFC Wimbledon’s meeting with Newcastle was postponed after flooding and pitch damage.
Liverpool were last year’s winners - then under Jurgen Klopp - and the Reds hold the record for most League Cup wins, too, with ten. They will continue their attempts to retain the trophy with a fourth-round trip to Brighton, following the draw, while the pick of the ties was Tottenham being set to host Manchester City.
Follow the Carabao Cup fourth round draw reaction below along with reaction to Liverpool’s match with West Ham:
Liverpool v West Ham
The teams are emerging from the tunnel at Anfield, and we’re moments away from kick-off.
The match between Arsenal and Bolton got underway at 7.45pm BST, and you can follow that here.
Liverpool v West Ham
Just 10 minutes until kick-off at Anfield. Will Federico Chiesa impress in his full debut for Liverpool?
What the managers have said
Julen Lopetegui says his side face a “big challenge” tonight.
“We are going to be playing against the current champions of the competition and we are at Anfield. [There is] big ambition and big expectation.
“Liverpool are a big team around the world. [Arne Slot] is a very good coach. He’s showing that he’s trying to continue the work from the last years and making it his style - I think they are doing very well.”
The Spaniard added that West Ham will ”face all the competitions with the intention to be able to go as far as possible”, adding that they are “a team under construction” since they “have a lot of new players [and] players who have never played in the Premier League.
“They have to adapt as soon as possible,” he added.
What the managers have said
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said that his side “will play with the best possible team, which means that players who are a bit more tired from playing a lot might mean I select different players. They will come in today and I’ll make the decision.”
“It’s not only fans who like winning trophies - players and managers do too. It is always nice to win something and I know in the history of the club they have won this trophy many times, including last season in a very special way with a lot of youngsters on the pitch.”
On West Ham, he says that they’ve had a “tough start but they’ve faced some strong opponents”.
“I’ve seen in their games they have had good spells. They’ve bought in a lot of players that have not been implemented yet but maybe tomorrow there is an opportunity for them. They will come back stronger and they have a good manager.”
Remaining League Cup fixtures
There are only two more League Cup fixtures to be decided, though the postponement of one means that we won’t fully know all the teams in the next round until 1 October.
Newcastle’s match away to AFC Wimbledon was postponed due to rain on the London-based side’s pitch, so that game has been postponed and re-arragned for 1 October, at St. James’ Park.
Tonight, Arsenal face Bolton at 7.45pm BST at the Emirates to decide the other remaining tie.
West Ham form guide
L-D-L-W-W
The Hammers have had a difficult start to the season under new manager Julen Lopetegui, and are currently languishing in 14th in the Premier League.
A woeful defensive performance last weekend ended in a 3-0 home loss to Chelsea, while they required a 95th-minute equaliser to draw against Fulham the week before that.
In the preceding fortnight, a weekend loss to Man City (3-1) had followed a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace, while the Hammers also won 1-0 against Bournemouth in late August in the second round of this competition.
Liverpool form guide
W-W-L-W-W
Liverpool have lost just one of their last five matches, despite facing what would generally be regarded as ‘tougher’ opponents.
The Reds easily dispatched Bournemouth 3-0 last weekend, having travelled to the San Siro in midweek. They left Italy with a 3-1 win against AC Milan after a solid Champions League performance.
The match before that saw one of the shocks of the season so far, as Nottingham Forest travelled to Anfield and left with three points after sneaking a 1-0 win.
In the two matches preceding that result, Liverpool had eased to wins over both Brentford (2-0) and old rivals Manchester United (3-0).
Liverpool v West Ham head-to-head
Tonight will be the 151st meeting between these two sides, with the first dating back to January 1901.
Liverpool have won 83 of the previous games, with West Ham having won 29 – 38 have ended as draws.
The two teams met three times last season, with Liverpool winning the home league match 3-1. The league match at the London Stadium ended in a 2-2 draw, while the Reds also beat West Ham 5-1 in this very competition in December 2023.
Perhaps the most famous meeting between these two sided came in the 2006 FA Cup final, which ended in a 3-3 draw after normal time. The game is perhaps remembered most for two superb goals from Steven Gerrard, the second of which was a stunning last-minute equaliser.
That game ended 3-1 on penalties to the Reds to give them their seventh FA Cup.
Line-ups
West Ham XI: Fabianski; Coufal, Todibo, Kilman, Cresswell, Soucek, Alvarez, Soler, Bowen, Ings, Summerville.
Subs: Foderingham, Antonio, Paqueta, Kudus, Mavropanos, Rodriguez, Emerson, Wan-Bissaka, Irving.
Confirmed lineups
Teams are in - Nunez starts up top for Liverpool, Ings is in for the Hammers against his former side.
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