Liverpool v Chelsea and Man City v Brighton deadline Carabao Cup line-up

The race for Carabao Cup glory intensifies this week as the competition reaches the fourth-round stage, with several heavyweight clashes on the schedule. Defending champions Liverpool welcome Chelsea to Anfield in a repeat of recent finals, while Manchester City face an in-form Brighton & Hove Albion side looking to continue their impressive record against the Citizens.

Elsewhere, Bournemouth take on Aston Villa, Fulham host Crystal Palace in a London derby, Sunderland face Brentford, and Everton welcome Newcastle United. All matches will be broadcast live on SuperSport and DStv Streaming, giving fans the chance to follow every moment of the battle for quarterfinal places.

MANCHESTER CITY V BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION

Manchester City and Brighton meet in the Carabao Cup for only the second time, with the Seagulls winning their sole previous encounter on penalties after a 2-2 draw in the second round of the 2008-09 competition. Brighton arrive with confidence after going unbeaten in their last four meetings with City in the Premier League, although they have never beaten the Manchester club away from home in 16 attempts across all competitions.

Pep Guardiola's side have won their last seven League Cup matches, equalling their best run in the competition, and will look to make it eight against a Brighton team known for entertaining cup football. Since the start of the 2020-21 season, Brighton have averaged 2.5 goals per game in the competition, scoring 42 times in 17 matches. Rayan Ait-Nouri has also been a creative force in the tournament, registering more assists than any other player since making his League Cup debut in 2021.

BOURNEMOUTH V ASTON VILLA

This will be the first-ever League Cup meeting between Bournemouth and Aston Villa, with their only previous cup encounter coming in the 2014-15 FA Cup when Villa prevailed 2-1.

Villa head into the contest unbeaten in their last seven matches against the Cherries and boast an impressive League Cup away record, winning 10 of their last 15 games on the road in the competition. Bournemouth, meanwhile, are aiming to end a run of four consecutive eliminations against fellow Premier League opponents in the tournament.

Ryan Christie will again be one to watch for the hosts after becoming Bournemouth's first League Cup hat-trick scorer during the third-round victory over Lincoln City. Villa's Tammy Abraham also has an outstanding record in the competition, contributing nine goals in 11 appearances.

FULHAM V CRYSTAL PALACE

Fulham and Crystal Palace renew acquaintances in the League Cup for the first time since 1966, when the Cottagers claimed a 2-0 victory.

Palace have enjoyed recent success at Craven Cottage and are unbeaten in their last nine away matches against Fulham in all competitions, winning the last four. The Eagles are chasing a place in the quarterfinals for a third successive season, while Fulham are looking to reach the last eight for the third time in four campaigns.

Fulham have been particularly strong at home in the competition, going eight League Cup matches unbeaten on their own turf, while Palace striker Jorgen Strand Larsen arrives in fine form after being involved in seven goals across his last two domestic cup appearances.

SUNDERLAND V BRENTFORD

History will be revisited when Sunderland and Brentford face off in the League Cup for the first time since the inaugural edition of the competition in 1960-61. The 66-year gap between meetings is the longest in League Cup history.

Brentford have established themselves as regular deep-runners in the competition and are seeking a fifth quarterfinal appearance since 2020-21. Sunderland, however, have won three of their last four League Cup matches against Premier League opposition and will fancy their chances of causing an upset.

The Bees will look to the creative influence of Jaidon Anthony, who leads the competition's assist charts this season with three and has been directly involved in five goals across his last four League Cup starts.

LIVERPOOL V CHELSEA

Arguably the tie of the round sees Liverpool and Chelsea collide once again in a competition that has produced several memorable encounters between the clubs.

The sides have met in every stage of the League Cup from the second round to the final, with Liverpool winning the last two finals in 2022 and 2024. Chelsea's most recent League Cup visit to Anfield ended in a 2-1 victory in 2018, and Enzo Maresca's side will hope to repeat that feat.

Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo has been the competition's most prolific scorer since the start of the 2023-24 season with 10 goals, while Chelsea have been involved in more goals than any other side across the last two editions of the tournament. Their thrilling 6-3 comeback win over Leeds United in the third round underlined the attacking quality they possess.

EVERTON V NEWCASTLE UNITED

Everton host Newcastle United in a meeting of two clubs with strong League Cup ambitions. Their only previous clash in the competition came in 2002-03, when the Toffees advanced on penalties after a dramatic 3-3 draw.

Newcastle have become one of the competition's most consistent performers in recent years and are attempting to reach the quarterfinals for a fifth consecutive season. Since 2022-23, no club has won more League Cup ties than the Magpies.

Everton manager David Moyes will hope home advantage can inspire a memorable result, although Newcastle's recent record on Merseyside is encouraging after a commanding 4-1 Premier League victory in their last visit. The winners will move one step closer to Wembley as the race for silverware gathers momentum.

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