Liverpool take on Manchester City this evening as they look to book their place in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Jurgen Klopp's men are at the Etihad Stadium as they continue the defence of the cup they won as part of their double last season. It’s the Reds’ first game back in action since the mid-season break for the World Cup, and they couldn’t have been handed a much harder task as they come up against their Premier League rivals.
A number of Liverpool’s stars are back for the tie of the round, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Thiago Alcantara and Joel Matip returning following the six-week break, while Jordan Henderson makes the bench after his exploits with England in Qatar.
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Despite the fourth round clash pitting the country’s top two sides over the past few years against each other, VAR will not be in use at the Etihad, which could make for some controversy.
Why doesn’t the Carabao Cup use VAR?
VAR is not utilised in the Carabao Cup until the semi-final stages. It’s a rule which has been in place since the 2019/20 season.
VAR was used in previous rounds during the 2018/19 campaign, but the EFL decided to ditch the system the following season due to it only being available at Premier League venues.
It means, should Liverpool overcome Man City this evening, they would have to get through another round without the system in place before VAR returns for the last-four.
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