MK Dons vs Liverpool: How will Carabao Cup tie play out as Jurgen Klopp looks to offer youth a chance
The Reds have now won 15 league matches in a row after prevailing against Chelsea at the weekend
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Your support makes all the difference.Jurgen Klopp's side are currently top of the premier league table after winning all six of their matches in the league, but the side have much to prove in the Carabao Cup after being knocked out at the first hurdle by Chelsea last season.
MK Dons have been known to perform in the Carabao Cup, as demonstrated by their 4-0 win over Manchester City in 2014, but coming off the back of two 1-0 home defeats, it is looking unlikely that they will claim a surprise victory over the dominant Reds.
Dons manager Paul Tisdale has said that the Milton Keynes-based side will come out on top regardless of result.
"I'm very relaxed. It's win-win," he said. "I don't feel this game is necessarily season-defining. It's an occasion, it's an opportunity to play and enjoy it and not have the pressure of needing to win in front of 29,000 fans, in your stadium against the European champions... what could possibly go wrong?! Let's just enjoy it. I feel excited but I'm not overly worried about it."
When is it?
MK Dons vs Liverpool kicks off at 19:45 (BST) on Wednesday 25th September
How can I watch it?
Sky Sports Football will be broadcasting the match
The match can be live streamed on laptops, smartphones and tablets through the Sky Go app.
You can also watch the match through NOW TV.
Team news
Lijnders revealed on Wednesday that Naby Keita, who had been sidelined due to sustaining a hip strain in the build- up to last month’s Uefa Super Cup victory over Chelsea in Istanbul, could feature in the line-up against MK Dons.
It was also confirmed by Lijnders that Caoimhin Kelleher and Rhian Brewster could make their senior Liverpool debuts against MK Dons.
Xherdan Shaqiri, Sadio Mane, Divock Origi and Alisson Becker will not travel to Milton Keynes. Mane is expected to be back in training on Thursday.
Predicted line-up
Liverpool
Kelleher, Hoever, Gomez, Lovren, Milner, Lallana, Keita, Chamberlain, Jones, Brewster, Elliott.
MK Dons
Nicholls, Poole, Martin, Walsh, Lewington, Williams, Kasamu, Houghton, Gilbey, McGrandles, Nombe
Odds
Liverpool are the favourites for tonight’s match, after recording a 15th consecutive league win when they beat Chelsea on Sunday. Jurgen Klopp’s men are favourites at 2/11 (1.18).
Fans of MK Dons will be hoping to see a similar result tonight as they did five years ago, when the side triumphed over Manchester United with a 4-0 victory. A shock victory is not expected however with odds of 14/1 (15.00).
For a draw you can get odds of 13/2 (7.50).
Prediction
Although the teams have never met, MK Dons have surprised in previous Carabao Cup ties - such as with their 4-0 victory over Manchester City in 2014. But with Liverpool’s winning streak up to 15 matches and MK Dons coming off the back of two 1-0 home defeats, a shock win is looking unlikely for the Milton Keynes-based side.
Despite Klopp being expected to play a weakened side, Liverpool will triumph in tonight’s meeting. The match may not be as easy as expected though, with MK Dons using the match as an opportunity to prove themselves. Nonetheless, we're going for a victory for Liverpool.
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