Leeds visit Anfield on tonight looking to cause an almighty upset and book their place in the semi-final of the League Cup.To do that, Garry Monk’s side will have toÂbe at their very best and put in the sort of performance they have been producing week in, week out in the Championship to put their name in the mix for promotion.The match is Leeds’ first meeting with an English Premier League in this season’s competition and is undoubtedly a step up from their previous rounds against Norwich, Blackburn, Luton and Fleetwood.Liverpool are themselves having a fine season, and seem to be finally hitting their stride under Jurgen Klopp as they go for glory at the summit of the English game.Still, we reckon there’s a glimmer of hope for Leeds.Here are THREE reasons Leeds could shock Liverpool…
Klopp’s kids
In the previous round against Spurs, Jurgen Klopp put faith in some of the younger and fringe members of the squad to get the job done. Thankfully for the Anfield side they did, but one of the key barriers for young sides is consistency. There’s no guarantee Liverpool’s youthÂwill achieve the same level of performance as they did against Spurs and it’s something Leeds may be able to exploit.
This is a talented Whites side who have won five of their last six games and they’re well poised to take advantage of any weak link in the Liverpool line-up.
Liverpool’s U-23 team was without a host of their usual players last night, hinting that the likes of Ovie Ejaria, Marko Grujic and even Ben Woodburn could get a go against Leeds.
Complacency
Liverpool, right now, are focused on league action and the cups could come as a distraction for Klopp’s men.
The same could be said for Leeds, but there’s no doubt a cup win would mean a lot more to this Whites team than their more illustrious opponents. Leeds haven’t reached the semi-final of this tournament for 20 years and their last major tournament win was well before that.
They’ll raise their game and bring a commitment to the fixture that, if Liverpool lack, could cause problems for the Anfield side.
Chris Wood
Leeds’ talismanic striker could be the difference between victory and defeat on Tuesday night. The former West Brom and Leicester man has been in top form this season so far, banging in twelve goals for United in all competitions.
Three of those have come in this competition and if Leeds are to stand any chance at all then they’ll need to supply him well.
If he can remain as clinical as he has been in recent games, Leeds have a fighting chance against the Liverpool heavyweights.
