Liverpool have won all of their last three encounters with Fulham, winning each game by one goal.

The first leg scoreline does not reflect the difference in quality between the two sides, with Liverpool dominating possession and registering almost four times as many shots as their opponents.

Fulham currently find themselves in a poor run of form, with their only win in 2024 being a narrow win against Rotherham in the FA Cup.

Jurgen Klopp’s men are five points clear at the top of the Premier League and remain in all cup competitions.

Liverpool have impressed when playing away from Anfield this season. Klopp’s side have won five of their last six away matches in all competitions, with their most impressive win coming against Arsenal in the FA Cup. Fulham have looked strong at times when playing at home; however, they have struggled when playing against the ‘bigger’ clubs, losing against both Man United and Chelsea.

Klopp will expect his side to avoid any scares and comfortably progress to the final. Which their performance in the first leg suggests they are more than capable of, despite all that defensively vulnerable Fulham will throw at them.

Even without Mohamed Salah, Liverpool have proven that they still have plenty of quality going forward. The hosts have scored six in their last two games, with Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota finding goalscoring form. Across their last five games Liverpool have registered an average of 8.4 shots on target per game.

When the sides last met in the Premier League, Liverpool scored four, testing the keeper on 12 occasions, and in the first leg of this semi-final, Liverpool hit the target seven times, forcing Bernd Leno into making five saves.

The bookies are offering a price of 1.30 for Liverpool to register five or more shots on target and a generous 1.67 for the visitors to hit the target a minimum of six times. Both appeal when considering bet builder selections for the midweek clash.

In the first leg, both sides found themselves on the wrong side of the referee at least once, with Liverpool picking up one yellow card and Fulham two. Virgil van Dijk, Sasa Lukic and Harry Wilson were all cautioned.

There has been three or more yellows in three of Liverpool’s four EFL Cup games this season and in four of Fulham’s five games. In the matches in which this three cards was not reached, there were two yellow cards.

Simon Hooper is not afraid of disciplining players, with the referee dishing out an average of 5.2 cards per game in his last five matches.

The added context with a day out at Wembley at stake could see sparks fly in West London.

Joao Palhinha has arguably been Fulham’s most influential player for some time now. The Portuguese midfielder covers plenty of ground and is very strong in the tackle, which has resulted in his tally of eight yellow cards in the Premier League this season.

Palhinha has committed an average of over two fouls per game in the EFL Cup, and in his last two appearances against Liverpool he has committed a total of six fouls.

Alexis Mac Allister has been responsible for a huge improvement in Liverpool’s midfield this season. Like Palhinha, the Argentine is not afraid of a tackle, and has committed an average of two fouls per game in the EFL Cup this season, sinning twice in the first leg.

Palhinha v Mac Allister will be one of many key battles on the pitch, and it feels very unlikely the pair complete a clean evening’s work.