EFL Cup: Leicester and Liverpool square up in a tale of contrast of two teams in form

Liverpool will take on Leicester City later today in the EFL Cup, with the Reds having the home advantage.

Liverpool and Leicester City are yet to lose a game this season, with both sides having won all but one of their games this season.

Soccernet.ng takes a deep dive into what makes both teams so good, and what is poised to be an entertaining matchup tonight.

Liverpool signed Dominik Szoboslai, Wataro Endo, and Alexis MacAllister to replace their ageing midfielders in Jordan Henderson and Fabinho, and Klopp’s side look like they can compete for the league again this season.

For Leicester, it is a contrast, the 2021 FA Cup winners were not tipped to be relegated by fans or pundits, but the exit of the goalkeeper and club captain, Kasper Schmeichel, left them destabilized, and the then manager, Brendan Rodgers, simply refused to play their most in-form striker, Kelechi Iheanacho.

The Foxes appointed a new manager, Enzo Maresca in the summer and the Italian has built a Leicester side that are hungry to play top-flight football again this season.

Leicester City have made the best start to a Championship season of any relegated team in the history of the competition.

Nobody has taken more points from the first 8 games after relegation than the Foxes’ 21 points.

📈 Maresca is rebuilding.#LCFC pic.twitter.com/YRC55hn8D4

— Between the Lines (@Between_TL) September 25, 2023

The Italian tactician prefers a patient build-up approach for his team’s build-up to goal, and a much more compact shape when they’re not on the ball, as compared to Liverpool’s famous counter-pressing.

Jurgen Klopp’s Reds have a historical advantage in the League Cup, having won it nine times, meanwhile, Maresca’s Foxes last tasted silverware in 2021, winning the FA Cup.

Players to watch out for;

Darwin Núñez has scored three goals for the reds, alongside Egyptian talisman, Mohammed Salah, with the latter setting up four goals in the league this season as well.

For the Foxes, 21-year-old Kasey McAteer has scored four goals in the championship, with Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as the key provider, with three assists to his name so far.

Considering it’s a league cup game, both managers might be tempted to heavily rotate their players, but with both teams in red-hot form, it is poised to be an entertaining game nonetheless.