At 3:45 a.m. on January 21st, Beijing time, the second round of the 2021-2022 English League Cup semi-finals will begin. Arsenal will face Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium.
Battle record
This will be the 236th official match in the history of the two teams, after Arsenal were at a disadvantage with 79 wins, 65 draws and 91 losses. The two teams have met 17 times in the League Cup history, Arsenal got 5 wins, 7 draws and 5 losses. In the first leg of the League Cup semi-final between the two teams this season, Arsenal drew 0-0 away from Liverpool.
Aspect 1: The two teams have a goalless draw in the first round, and the second round is full of suspense
Arsenal’s 0-0 draw away from Liverpool in the first leg left a lot of suspense for the second leg. Although Liverpool had a clear advantage in the first leg, the situation may change when they return to the Emirates Stadium in the second leg. As we all know, Arsenal’s home record this season is outstanding. Even if they face the Premier League leader Manchester City at home, Arsenal has not shown any weakness. In the second leg against Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal will definitely try their best to win. However, Liverpool failed to win the game in the first round. The 0-0 result is not favorable for Liverpool. If they want to advance in the second round, they must continue the momentum of the first round and continue to suppress Arsenal. According to statistics, Liverpool is the team that has entered the most finals in the history of the League Cup, but in the last three League Cup semi-finals, Liverpool lost in the second round.
Aspect 2: Xhaka was suspended and missed, and the Gunners suffered a shortage in the midfielder
Since Xhaka received a red card in the first round, Xhaka will be suspended for the second round. There was already a shortage of staff at Arsenal’s midfielder position. With Xhaka unable to play, Arsenal’s first team only had a positive midfielder left in Lokonga. Although Thomas has ended his African Cup journey, due to the fatigue of the journey and the tight time, it is impossible for Thomas to catch the last round against Liverpool. The 18-year-old Patino can play in the defensive midfield position, but in such an important game, coach Arteta is unlikely to arrange Patino to start. According to British media sources, Ben White, who was originally a central defender, may make a cameo as a midfielder. Whether he is qualified for this position is still a big unknown.
Aspect 3: Who can carry the banner of the Liverpool attack group
Judging from the first round of the game, the absence of two thigh players, Salah and Mane, had a great impact on Liverpool’s offense. In particular, Takumi Minamino missed a good opportunity in the first round and received a lot of criticism and accusations after the game. But in the game against Brentford last weekend, Takumi Minano, who came off the bench, scored a goal to help the team win a big victory and fight back the doubts from the outside world. The quality of the other two attackers, Jota and Firmino, will also be the key to determining the outcome of the game. It is worth mentioning that Oxlade-Chamberlain was injured in the game against Brentford last weekend. At the pre-match press conference, assistant coach Linds has confirmed that Oxlade-Chamberlain will not be able to play against Arsenal in the second round. Eliminate the attacking combination of Takumi Minamino + Firmino + Jota.
pre-match sound
Arteta (Arsenal coach): We have a chance to enter the final to compete for the trophy. We have to face a strong opponent at home and in front of our fans, so we are very much looking forward to the second leg. Fu An Jian Yang, Smith Rowe and Odegaard have not played in recent weeks for different reasons, and we are working hard to change and improve to prepare for tomorrow’s game in the best possible way. Aubameyang is now in London and is undergoing some tests and because the Gabon national team has not made it clear why he is returning to the club, it is clear that we have an obligation to ensure his fitness. Tomorrow we will have the best squad and we have only one goal, that is, after the final whistle blows, we can get tickets to Wembley to fight for the championship.
Linds (Liverpool assistant coach): We always analyse and look ahead to the next game, we know what we want, we’re going to Arsenal, obviously we need to win the game, whether it’s 90 minutes, 120 minutes or penalties We all need to win this game and we will do everything to get into Wembley and fight for the League Cup. Arsenal have always had good players but for me they have a good team now and I think thanks to Arteta they have matured. It’s January now and the most thing you want to happen in January is to be ready to go to the final without a doubt, that’s what the Liverpool club stands for, what we all want to do is fight for trophies .
Injury report
Arsenal: Xhaka (suspended), Cedric (injured), Fu An Jianyang (suspected), Saka (suspected), Smith-Rowe (suspected)
Liverpool: Origi (injured), Thiago (injured), Nat Phillips (injured), Elliott (injured), Oxlade-Chamberlain (injured), Salah (international), Mane (international) team competition), Keita (national team competition)
Predicted starter
Arsenal (4-2-3-1): 32-Rumsdale/18-Fu An Jianyang, 16-Holding, 5-Gabriel, 3-Tierney/4-Ben-White, 23-Loconga/7-Saka, 10-Smith-Road, 35-Martinelli/9-Lacazette
Liverpool (4-3-3): 1- Alisson/66-Arnold, 5-Conat, 4-Van Dijk, 26-Robertson/14-Henderson, 3-Fabinho, 17-Curdy S-Jones/20-Jota, 9-Firmino, 18-Minamino TakumiReturn to Sohu, see more
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