Defending Carabao Cup champions Liverpool travel to face Manchester City in round four, and George Gamble previews the game, selecting a best bet.
With the World Cup recently finishing, there could be a mix of youth and experience for both sides.
This clash has become something of a derby due to the respective recent success of both clubs and you can guarantee both will be eager to book their place in the quarter-final.
Pep Guardiola admitted that he only really has four or five first team players available to him due to the World Cup.
Kevin De Bruyne, Erling Haaland, Riyad Mahrez and Sergio Gomez all took part in the 2-0 friendly win over Girona but the City boss has said he is still waiting for 14 players to return to training.
Meanwhile, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has stated that Jordan Henderson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil Van Dijk are all in training but the latter will be unlikely to feature in this one.
Kick-off time: 20:00 GMT, Thursday
TV Channel: Sky Sports Football
It means that we could see an array of youngsters looking to make a name for themselves in action here and it will still be a lively affair.
The fringe players will be excited at the prospect of playing in one of the biggest clashes of English football across recent years and with five of the last six meetings seeing both teams strike and at least three goals in total, we could be in for another fascinating tie.
It’s inevitable that all sides will need to find their rhythm after the World Cup break and that can often mean that more chances are produced than normal.
Even before the break, League matches at the Etihad Stadium were producing an average of 4.9 goals per game and the philosophies of both these sides tends to mean constant attacking and counter-attacking.
That should ring true once again here and the standout pick looks to be BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE AND OVER 2.5 GOALS at the Etihad.
Manchester City v Liverpool best bets and score prediction
- 1.5pts Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals at 17/20 (William Hill)
Score prediction: Manchester City 2-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Odds correct at 1845 GMT (19/12/22)
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