Wednesday sees the most intriguing of the quarter-finals as Southampton host Liverpool hoping to bounce back from two consecutive league defeats.
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Southampton will be boosted by the return from suspension of striker Graziano Pellè, but will be without defender Jose Fonte, who suffered a knee injury in Saturday’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City.
Southampton manager Ronald Koeman says that he is confident ahead of his team’s meeting with Liverpool.
“When I came to the club, I knew already that we would lose some good players, and we lost, after last season, Schneiderlin and Clyne, important players for the team”, the manager was quoted as saying by the British media.
And the Saints manager is relishing the visit of Liverpool, a team he has fond memories of facing after recording a victory over them in the Champions League knockout stages in 2006. Several Premier League teams no longer take that competition or the Capital One Cup seriously, but Koeman is determined not to give up on what he considers his side’s best chance of silverware.
We’re not exactly spoiled for choice in the soccer TV listings, with the Capital One Cup the best option.
Caulker, who joined Southampton on loan from Queens Park Rangers in the close season but has started just five games for the club in all competitions, comes into the side in place of injured skipper Jose Fonte.
Christian Benteke is the player thrusted with the responsibility of heading the attack and the big Belgian is more than capable of making life hard for the makeshift Southampton central defence.
“Only the future will tell if he is the right person, but it looks positive at the moment but football can change”, he added.
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Liverpool have won their last three matches and six of their last seven to take them up to sixth in the Premier League table and through to the knockout phase of the Europa League.
