EFL Cup, 3rd round, Wednesday, 25.09.2024 at 21:00
The defending champions start in the EFL Cup on Wednesday and Liverpool are up against a tough opponent, league rivals West Ham are guests, who have not had the best start to the season.
The teams cannot afford to go easy on their players in this match. First and foremost, after the dominant 3-0 win against Bournemouth in my Liverpool West Ham betting tip, I am convinced that the Reds will win again at home and I am betting on Liverpool to win by more than 1.5 goals at Betano.
The era after Jürgen Klopp is going well for Liverpool for the time being. Arne Slot has taken the reins and has started the 2024/25 Premier League season with three wins and no goals conceded.
The international break has broken the rhythm a bit, and at home there was a surprising first defeat against Nottingham Forest in mid-September, a 0-1.
With good results in the Champions League against AC Milan (3:1) and against Bournemouth (3:0), the defeat was quickly forgotten.
In the Premier League, only one point separates them from the leaders and defending champions Manchester City, who were able to celebrate a last-minute equalizer against Arsenal last weekend. Liverpool are lurking!
The offense is in strong form, 23 completions at the San Siro, Mo Salah and Co. repeatedly combined dangerously through the defensive line, with top chances almost every minute.
It was a similar story against Bournemouth, although Liverpool were lucky not to concede, with 19 chances allowed.
Can West Ham outplay Liverpool? I don’t think the odds of 1.70 for both teams to score are bad. However, the FC was really hard to crack at home. Nottingham has so far scored the only away goal at Anfield Road.
At the same time, West Ham are not in good form. Five goals in five games, and three games without a win in their last. The only away win came at Crystal Palace, a 2-0 success. A late goal from Jarrod Bowen earned a narrow win against Bournemouth (1-0).
Niclas Füllkrug, who is still waiting for his first goal, has now openly admitted that he needs time to settle in England. He started the last EFL Cup match for the first time, but has only come off the bench in the Premier League so far.
He is currently struggling with an Achilles tendon irritation. His Hammers arrive at a 7.50 as clear underdogs, for the draw a 4.90 odds are waiting in the Betano app. Liverpool have been given 1.40.
From the odds heights, there is nothing for me as a single bet. The situation is different when 1.5 goals are added. Because when Liverpool scores, it’s multiple times, at least in this still young season.
2-0 against Ipswich and Brentford and a 3-0 against arch-rivals Manchester United and Bournemouth. There were also three goals in the premier class against Milan. West Ham are entering the EFL Cup match with plenty of confidence.
On Saturday, the club was steamrolled by Chelsea. The hosts were once again overwhelmed defensively in the 3-0 defeat. West Ham had already conceded 21 and 23 goals against Fulham and Manchester City. The victory against Crystal Palace was also the only league game to finish goalless.
A weakening offense and defense before the EFL Cup match in Liverpool, the starting position could hardly be much worse. I definitely don’t believe in a cup miracle. The “-1 handicap” variant for a 2.02 could also be considered at Betano.
Especially since Arne Slot can draw on an abundance of talent from his squad. Quiet days for the team doctors, all players are currently fit. At least Füllkrug would be the only absentee from the guests.
Liverpool and West Ham fans will remember that this clash in the EFL Cup already took place last season, a little later in the year, namely in the quarterfinals. The Reds put on a fireworks display in the form of a 5-1 home win. One-way traffic football!
Liverpool also won the corresponding league game at home with 3:1. The club from the Beatles city now has eight consecutive home wins against the Hammers. The last away win for the Hammers was in 2015, a resounding 3:0.
West Ham haven’t had much to cheer about in recent encounters, to be precise: one win in their last 17 games against LFC! Four times in a row, Liverpool scored at least twice.
: In the last few games, West Ham didn’t have much of a chance against Liverpool, and in last year’s EFL Cup match, the Hammers were beaten 5-1. In the first few games against the Big Six this season, things didn’t look good for the London club either.
The defense has problems, three goals against each against Manchester City and Chelsea, three league games without a win.
While rotations can be expected compared to the Champions League and Premier League, the Anfield Road team is still spoiled for choice without injuries.
LFC have been dominant of late, only experiencing teething problems after the international break, but these have long since been resolved.
My Liverpool West Ham tip: Liverpool Win & Over 1.5 Goals.
