Liverpool embark on their Carabao Cup trophy defence on Wednesday night when the Reds host Derby County in the third round of the competition.
A penalty shootout victory following a 0-0 draw with Chelsea in 120 minutes saw Liverpool win the Carabao Cup last season, the first time they had won this trophy since 2012. They start this season's campaign with a visit from League One side Derby County, with Jurgen Klopp expected to heavily rotate.
The Reds enter the clash on the back of a hard-fought 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, moving Liverpool up to eighth in the table. Ahead of Wednesday, Pep Linjders has confirmed that Caoimhin Kelleher will start in goal for the Reds in a rotated squad.
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The likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Joe Gomez, Kostas Tsimikas, Fabio Carvalho and Stefan Bajetic are also expected to start against Derby. So, how could the Reds perform on Wednesday night in the Carabao Cup?
And can the Reds get off to a strong start in the Carabao Cup? We simulated the game to find out. To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We simulated Liverpool vs Derby to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used FIFA 23 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions. Due to Bajetic and Bobby Clark not being in Liverpool's squad on FIFA 23, we replaced the duo in-game with Jordan Henderson and Harvey Elliott respectively.
We predict that Liverpool could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their line-up as follows: Kelleher; Ramsay, Gomez, Phillips, Tsimikas; Oxlade-Chamberlain, Bajetic, Jones; Carvalho, Clark, Nunez.
We predict that Derby could set up in a 4-4-2 formation, with their line-up as follows: Wildsmith; Smith, Stearman, Forsyth, Roberts; Mendez-Laing, Sibley, Bird, Dobbin; Collins, McGoldrick.
Liverpool were in control from the get-go, and they took the lead after four minutes when Darwin Nunez met Kostas Tsimikas' cross with a fantastic diving header at the near post. The Uruguayan was causing all sorts of problems for the Derby defence, and he made it 2-0 after 12 minutes as the Reds took a controlling lead.
Playing through the middle in the simulation, Nunez received the ball with his back to goal just inside the box, and a clever flick through his legs saw the striker peel away from his marker. With a sight of goal, Nunez fired past the 'keeper with power to grab his and Liverpool's second.
Oxlade-Chamberlain returned to the squad after his injury layoff, and the midfielder made it 3-0 when he curled Calvin Ramsay's layoff into the top corner from outside the box. And, in trademark Oxlade-Chamberlain fashion, the midfielder grabbed his second and the Reds' fourth just before halftime with an incredible long-range effort.
As the Reds moved the ball across the Derby goal, Oxlade-Chamberlain picked up possession in the centre of the pitch with only one thing on his mind. Rather than passing to Ramsay unmarked on the right, the Englishman drilled a powerful strike across goal, finding the top corner to make it 4-0.
After Fabio Carvalho's shot was saved by the 'keeper, Nunez grabbed his hat trick just after the restart as he tapped the rebound into an empty net from a few yards out. The visitors had a spell of possession that saw them test Kelleher a few times, but nothing came of it before Harvey Elliott made it 6-0 in the 84th minute.
As Carvalho cut in from the left and Nunez dropped deep, a pocket of space opened up inside the box. Elliot burst into the area as he was picked out by Carvalho, and the midfielder curled around the 'keeper to make it 6-0 in a dominant victory for Klopp's men.
FIFA 23 predicted final score: Liverpool 6-0 Derby County
Here are the full-time match stats.
FIFA 23 predicts that Liverpool could ease to a huge win against Derby at Anfield on Wednesday evening. The gulf in quality should see them thrash the opposition, with the Reds outperforming the visitors in every aspect of the game. With attacking depth limited, one of the likes of Nunez, Mohamed Salah or Roberto Firmino could start in attack, with the sim predicting Nunez could grab a hat-trick if he plays against the Rams on Wednesday.
What do you think the final score will be? Let us know in the comments below.
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