BetZillion is back with a free Liverpool and Arsenal betting preview and predictions for Thursday, January 13, in the semi-finals of the 2021/22 Carabao Cup, providing you with all the information you’ll ever need to place smart bets with your top soccer bookie.
Let’s look at what our football betting expert says about the upcoming English football spectacle!
The Liverpool vs Arsenal betting odds shows Jurgen Klopp’s men as the favourites, priced at even odds, Arsenal as underdogs at 12/5, and a draw at a very generous 11/4. Although you could make a case against Liverpool, who entered this bout without a handful of key players, the recent absence of Mohamed Salad, Sadio Mane, and other stars didn’t seem to harm the Reds too much.
Knowing that they’re missing Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, Naby Keita, and Thiago Alcantara, placing a bet on Liverpool might seem like a bold choice. Still, there is a good reason why the hosts are favoured to win the first leg of this Carabao Cup semi-final bout.
Jurgen Klopp might be working with a much thinner squad than he would like, but Liverpool continues to post impressive results, even without the team’s key players. On Saturday, Liverpool smashed Shrewsbury while fielding only 4 of the 11 starters, which is a good sign.
Additionally, Klopp has noted that the COVID outbreak in the team is not nearly as severe as the media portrayed it to be, with most players returning false positives. So while the situation is not optimal, it’s not nearly as bad as it first seemed.
Admittedly, Liverpool has managed only two wins across their last 5, but it’s not like Arsenal is in a much better spot performance-wise.
One thing that could make you doubt betting on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup is that Klopp traditionally doesn’t take cup competitions too seriously. But since his side is now only two legs away from the final and another trophy, it’s fair to assume that he will change his mind.
Keita, Mane, and Salah are all away on Nations duty, competing in the Africa Cup of Nations, leaving Liverpool to count on their other players to do all the heavy lifting. Although the Red’s roster is undeniably weaker without the star players, it’s not like Liverpool lacks talent.
Diogo Jota will return to action on Thursday for the first time since the 2-2 draw against Chelsea after he missed the FA Cup clash with Shrewsbury. It should give him plenty of time to rest and get ready to do some damage against the Gunners, which is something it has become good at.
In November’s meeting, Jota had scored against Arsenal when the Reds won 4-0, improving his record against the Gunners to 4 goals in 4 matches. He also scored against the London squad at Wolves, so there must be something about playing against Arsenal that suits the 25-year-old.
The first goalscorer odds on Liverpool vs Arsenal in Carabao Cup show Jota at 7/2, which is an excellent price to pay. Alternatively, you can back the Portuguese forward to score anytime at even odds on most EFL Cup bookmakers.
We conclude our list of the top 3 Liverpool vs Arsenal betting tips with a bold selection of Liverpool to win with at least two goals.
There is no hiding that Arsenal has been struggling defensively this season, allowing the 3rd-most chances as per expected goals. And that could be a problem considering they’re facing a side that likes to create as many opportunities as possible.
Even without their two key attacking men in the team, Liverpool should threaten Arsenal’s goal, and there’s enough evidence to confirm that. Most notably, Liverpool stomped Arsenal 4-0 in November, and even if we assume they’ll do worse without Salah and Mane, a 2-goal margin should be more than achievable.
At 5/2, we have to add Liverpool with a -1.5 goal handicap to our Liverpool vs Arsenal predictions list.
Many sportsIn-play modeLive streaming25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsKlopp made it very clear in the past that he doesn’t care about cup competitions, but we can expect that he will change his mind in the Carabao Cup.
With Manchester City crashing out of the Carabao Cup, they won’t be able to win it for a 5th consecutive time, giving Liverpool an excellent opportunity to go all the way. And you can’t expect them to let this opportunity slide.
You could make the same case for Arsenal, knowing that the Carabao Cup is now their only chance at silverware after getting eliminated from the FA Cup. But due to the form Arsenal has been showing of late, it’s hard to believe this team can emerge as the winner on Thursday.
On the form topic, Liverpool is 2-2-1 across their last five outings, which isn’t exactly excellent, but it’s much better than Arsenal.
That stretch includes two draws against Chelsea (2-2) and Tottenham (2-2), a win and a loss against Leicester (4-3, 0-1), as well as a dominant victory (4-1) against Shrewsbury last weekend.
Arsenal has been largely disappointing with their showings of late, inspiring little to no confidence that they will manage to deliver on Thursday. Admittedly, they had gone on a 3-game winning streak towards the end of December when they showed some highlight performances. Still, that minor success quickly overshadows the Gunners’ recent showings and stats.
On the first day of the new year, Arsenal stumbled against Manchester City (1-2), which isn’t too bad a result on paper. But there is more to that match than meets the eye.
Mikel Arteta‘s side was leading from the 31′ minute and looked poised to upset the EPL juggernauts until they gave up a penalty in 57’ and quickly followed that up with a second yellow card for Gabriel. The mishap eventually allowed Man City to snatch a W, with a late 90’+3 goal to make it 2-1.
On Sunday, Arsenal followed that up with a humiliating FA Cup performance when Nottingham Forest eliminated them from the competition (0-1). That result further proved that Arsenal could be inconsistent and look very fragile.
Liverpool can expect Alisson Becker to return to the field, leaving Trent Alexander-Arnold as the team’s only confirmed positive (COVID) case. On the other hand, Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Naby Keita are all away at the Africa Cup of Nations. At the same time, Thiago Alcantara, Harvey Elliott, Divock Origi, and Nat Phillips remain injured.
On a more positive note, Jordan Henderson and Diogo Jota are back in the starting XI and should patch up the holes nicely.
Arsenal will remain without Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe, Mohamed Elneny, and Thomas Partey, with Gabriel Magalhaes set to return from suspension.
Although yet to be confirmed, Granit Xhaka and Folarin Balogun might also be out due to positive COVID tests. It remains to be seen whether Takehiro Tomiyasu and Emile Smith Rowe will be fit.
Liverpool and Arsenal will clash on Thursday, January 13, at 19:45 local time (GMT) at Anfield, London. The match was initially scheduled to take place on January 6 but was delayed due to COVID-19 cases in Liverpool.
As one of the biggest football matches of the week, you can expect this Carabao Cup semi-final spectacle to be available on all live streaming platforms, as well as on all major sport TV channels, including Sky Sports Football. So make sure to find the right streaming platform to watch the game and better understand whether an in-play bet opportunity will arise.
Our Carabao Cup betting preview offers three excellent picks for your Liverpool v Arsenal betting endeavour, but we’re adding one more at slightly better odds.
As noted above, Arsenal is struggling with their defence, so it’s fair to assume that Liverpool will find the back of the net at least a couple of times on Thursday. At the same time, Arsenal has been relatively inefficient in scoring goals of late, so it’s not beyond the realms of possibility that Liverpool ends this leg with a clean sheet.
A bet on a clean sheet for the hosts at 9/4 would be a solid pick, but we like a correct score bet on Liverpool to win 2-0 at 10/1 better. Admittedly, it’s a longshot bet, but it’s worth a punt at the provided odds.
Prediction: Liverpool to win 2-0 (correct score) – 10/1
With that, we conclude our free Liverpool vs Arsenal betting preview, providing you with enough insight to make smart bets and profit wagering on this Carabao Cup clash.
