MK Dons vs Liverpool Preview: Match preview and prediction | Carabao Cup 2019/20
Liverpool head to Milton Keynes midweek to face MK Dons, temporarily suspending their assault on the English top flight. Jurgen Klopp is expected to ring numerous changes to the side, with the Reds' focus firmly on the trip away to Sheffield United this weekend.
The Reds may have won the most League Cups (8), however, they haven't fared well in the competition in recent times. Liverpool has exited the competition at this stage in the last two seasons, as they were beaten by Chelsea 1-2 last September, and lost 2-0 away to Leicester City 2 years ago.
MK Dons will relish a clash against the European champions, as such nights come for them once in a blue moon. It could, however, be a long night for The Dons, as they have been very inconsistent this season. The League One club currently sit 15th on the league table and haven't scored a goal in 3 hours of football. In their last outing, they lost by a lone goal to a managerless Southend United.
Despite those setbacks, they'll be looking to draw on the magic of the cup and cause a famous upset. They will be buoyed by the fact that Liverpool's focus is undoubtedly elsewhere, and the fact that the Reds have lost their last four matches in the competition and don't have an away win in the League Cup for more than 3 years.
Venue and kickoff information
Venue: Stadium MK
Date: September 25, 2019
Kickoff: 7:45 pm (BST)
Match officials
Referee: Oliver Langford
Assistants: Akil Howson, Steven Meredith
Fourth official: Ben Toner
Head to head
Liverpool has never locked horns with MK Dons in their current iteration since the club was newly formed in 2004.
However, as Wimbledon (now MK Dons) they clashed with Liverpool 34 times, with The Reds winning 13 of those clashes and The Wombles coming out tops on 8 occasions.
Form guide
MK Dons: LWWWLL
Liverpool: WWWWLW
Did you know?
Liverpool has reached the League Cup semi-finals three times in the last five seasons.
In 2014, MK Dons thrashed Louis Van Gaal's Manchester United 4-0 at Stadium MK.
Team news and predicted XI for Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp is expected to make wholesale changes to his side and a couple of youngsters are expected to make get much-needed game time. We could see the likes of Caoimhin Kelleher, Ki-Jana However, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, etc. Naby Keita is also expected to feature in this one after recovering from an injury which has kept him out since the UEFA Super Cup.
Alisson Becker: Out Injured
Nathaniel Clyne: Out injured
Xherdan Shaqiri: Doubtful
Sadio Mane: Doubtful
Divock Origi: Doubtful
Liverpool (4-3-3): Caomhin Kelleher, Joe Gomez, Dejan Lovren, Sepp van den Berg, Yasser Larouci, James Milner, Harvey Elliot, Adam Lallana, Gini Wijnaldum, Rhian Brewster, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Betting odds
MK Dons: 11.50
Liverpool: 1.21
Draw: 6.74
BTTS: 1.80 (Y), 1.91 (N)
Bookmaker: Betway
Prediction
Jurgen Klopp will be making a lot of changes to his side, but expect the second string Reds to still be too hot for Paul Tisdale and his men to handle.
Final score: MK Dons 0-3 Liverpool