Liverpool – Fulham

The rivals won’t be too wasteful on goals in the first meeting of the duel

Jurgen Klopp's team started their journey to the 1/16 finals with a goal from Leicester City in the third minute of the match. In the second half of that game, the Reds scored three times and snatched victory from the representative of the Championship. In the 1/8 finals against Bournemouth, Liverpool scored first, then allowed the Cherries to get back and immediately scored the winning goal through Nunez. Finally, at the last stage, the Merseysiders rolled over the ambitious capital players from West Ham United - 5:1. Fulham started the tournament journey to the 1/32 final with the most difficult opponent - Tottenham. In the course of the meeting, the teams exchanged goals, and in a penalty shootout more fortunate were the "cottagers". Norwich City in the next round was defeated by a club from the outskirts of London with a score of 2:1 in regulation time, and perfectly performing in the Championship Ipswich Town was defeated at their stadium in the 1/8 finals with a score of 3:1. In the last round Fulham as an underdog traveled to visit Everton, but got to the penalty shootout and with the eighth strike formalised the status of semi-finalist of the tournament. Bookmakers have expectedly identified the home team as favourites for the upcoming meeting, offering odds of 1.31 on their victory. Liverpool over the past couple of months finally emphasised the status of one of the contenders for the Premier League title. The Merseysiders are now leading with a three-point advantage over second-placed Aston Villa. The only problem in terms of preparation for the upcoming meeting for Liverpool looks like a cup game with Arsenal, which will be held in London 3 days before the match with Fulham. It will probably not be an easy one and Klopp will apply squad rotation in the semi-final. Fulham have been alternating wins and losses in recent months, but are having a fairly even season, allowing them to sit in thirteenth place in the Premier League. "Dachshunds" is unlikely to face relegation or a place in the European zone of the championship. Because of this, the club has the opportunity to emphasise the cup tournaments, which has already borne fruit. To the duel with Liverpool wards Silva approach in a mini-series of two victories, including over Arsenal in the championship and Rotherham in the FA Cup. There won't be many goals in the first meeting of the duel.