Carabao Cup: Can Liverpool overcome their mental block?

Carabao Cup R4 previews: Arsenal vs Brighton, Newcastle vs Spurs thriller, Man City at Swansea, Wolves vs Chelsea upset bid, Liverpool vs Palace.

Liverpool must overcome what has become a mental block, Crystal Palace is their next fixture, can they advance to the quarter finals of the Carabao Cup?

At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal host Brighton as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. The Gunners are in form and clearly want silverware, while Brighton have been inconsistent but dangerous on their day.

Arsenal may rotate, especially given a hectic fixture list and some knocks to key players (Rice, Saliba, etc.). Brighton have had strong cup form recently and might fancy causing an upset. Arsenal have the edge; expect them to progress but maybe not in vintage style.

Next on Wednesday, without a doubt, is arguably the headline tie of the night: defending champions Newcastle United host Tottenham Hotspur at St James’ Park. It’s a game of huge significance to Thomas Frank and Eddie Howe for different reasons.

Newcastle’s ambition to defend their trophy will come up against Tottenham’s desire to make a statement. Spurs haven’t won here for a while at St James’ and face a hostile atmosphere. Team news and rotations may be key — both clubs have commitments elsewhere; expect a razor-tight affair; small margins will decide this one.

At the Swansea Stadium, Championship side Swansea welcome Manchester City. While the gap in quality is obvious, cup ties are often where surprises occur; however, it would be a huge surprise for this one to go another way apart from the way of the visitors.

City are heavy favourites and have a dominant head-to-head record against Swansea; however, City may rotate heavily — their boss has already flagged resting some stars, while for Swansea, this is a chance to cause a shock and build momentum.

Wolves host Chelsea at Molineux — another Premier League duel that could go either way depending on form and focus. Wolves are in a bad place, and this is their lifeline to revive their season. Vitor Pereira’s side is yet to pick a win this season; will Chelsea allow them to pick one here?

Chelsea may arrive with slightly higher expectations; Wolves are perhaps under pressure given their inconsistent recent form. The cup offers a chance for both squads to shine or rotate; however, this is one game that could spring the biggest upset. Chelsea must leave nothing to chance.

Liverpool face Crystal Palace at Anfield in a match that carries extra intrigue: Palace have had the upper hand in some recent encounters, and the Reds will be keen to reassert dominance. Liverpool have work to do to shake off recent sluggishness; Palace believe they can add to Liverpool’s discomfort.