CARABAO CUP: The Striker previews the Carabao Cup Semi-Final 2nd Leg between LIVERPOOL v ARSENAL with a recommended BETDAQ bet. The winners meet Chelsea in the final.

LIVERPOOL V ARSENAL

7.45pm We have the second Carabao Cup Semi-Final on Thursday night as Liverpool finally host Arsenal. The first time they tried to play this fixture it had to be postponed due to Covid19, and this will be a strange one, because Chelsea and Spurs will have already played their two legs! It’s also an interesting situation, because the FA have decided to switch around the ties. Arsenal were due to host the first leg, but now we arrive into Anfield with a different dynamic. Never a dull moment for trading on BETDAQ Betting Exchange!

It’s funny how quickly things can change in football. I actually quite fancied Arsenal for the first leg a week ago when the sides were supposed to meet. They had just had a good performance against Manchester City and they had been putting average sides to the sword. Liverpool had a few players missing with Covid19 and the African Cup of Nations, and I felt everything just lined up for Arsenal with home advantage. Since then though, they have lost to Nottingham Forest away in the FA Cup and although Liverpool won’t be at full strength tonight either, it’s always tricky coming to Anfield.

Klopp has named some very odd starting XI’s for the Cup’s and we could see some dramatic market movements on the team news. They are also without Mo Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Kieta due to the African Cup of Nations. It’s going to be a tough month for Liverpool to be honest, I’m not sure how they replace players like that and their squad depth is the worst from the Top Four sides in the Premier League. Arsenal will know this is a fantastic chance to get a day out in Wembley and in fairness they usually are very good in the Cups. They were very poor against Nottingham Forest at the weekend though – after such a positive run, they looked like they same old Arsenal again, Forest totally outworked them in the second half.

While Liverpool record a win at the weekend in the FA Cup, I want to see how they perform with Salah and Mane over the next few weeks. I’ll be happy to keep stakes pretty limited on Liverpool games until I see their performance level. I know supporting Arsenal away from home against the top sides has to come with a wealth warning, but a small Liverpool lay looks the value call here at 2.16. I fully accept Arsenal were poor at the weekend, but they do have a good chance against a weaker than usual Liverpool side here. Arsenal can make this one a lot closer than odds of 2.16 suggest.

The Striker Says:
Two points lay (liability) Liverpool to beat Arsenal at 2.16 with BETDAQ BETTING EXCHANGE.

You can view all markets here -> https://bit.ly/BDQEFLla

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