Things to watch for in third round League Cup tie against West Ham

Liverpool begin their quest for a record extending 11th League Cup crown late Wednesday as they welcome West Ham to Anfield.

The Reds are coming off a brilliant victory at the weekend over an outmatched Bournemouth side in the Premier League. That performance followed a wonderful win in the Champions League during the week, meaning Arne Slot has a side brimming with confidence.

There will certainly be some star names rested for this one, but Liverpool have shown plenty of strength this season and should still be considered favorites in the tie.

Let's take a look at three things you should be watching for on Wednesday as a new EFL Cup adventure begins.

1. Will Federico Chiesa make his first Liverpool start?

The Italian attacker has been slowly brought along since his arrival to Merseyside and even now, Slot says Chiesa cannot go a full 90 minutes.

However, that does not mean he shouldn't be given 50-60 minutes to try and make an impact in his first start in Red. This kind of competition is perfect for this exact thing and it would go a long way towards building his trust within this side as well as showcasing just what we signed over the summer.

He played a tick under 20 minutes on Saturday as we saw our first true glimpses of the Italian in live action.

Him getting the starting nod would allow Mohamed Salah a deserved midweek rest to keep fresh for the next Premier League fixture on Saturday.

West Ham are a solid opponent, but Chiesa could work some of his technical wizardry in this one and maybe make a memory for himself and the club. Let's see if Slot gives him that chance.

2. Will any "Kids" be given a proper runout?

A staple of this competition under Jurgen Klopp was the selection of several Academy players, affectionately dubbed "Klopp's Kids".

It remains to be seen if his successor will take the early rounds more seriously or if he takes a cautious approach to make sure the squad keeps humming along at warp speed.

The most notable youngster that could see action would of course be Trey Nyoni. The 17-year old attacking midfielder is one of the brightest talents in the youth setup and he has been around the first team a lot this season.

While he might not start, I see no reason he should not get a healthy cameo off the bench, especially if things are going well for Liverpool.

Tyler Morton is still waiting to make his 2024/25 season debut as well so he could be a strong option to even possibly start alongside say, Wataru Endo?

If the Reds rack up some goals early, these two could see extended minutes on Wednesday.

3. Can Anfield get the raucous vibes back?

While Liverpool support at home this season has not been bad by any means, there have been some strangely long periods of silence during matches that one might not normally expect from such a ground.

While a midweek League Cup clash might not be the sexiest fixture on the calendar, it is still a cup tie against a worthy opponent and I want to hear the Reds faithful roaring early and often.

With the lads playing so well, it should be easy for the fans and players to feed off of each other and really deliver the "Anfield Affect".

I want to reiterate before getting roasted for this, I am not saying Anfield crowds have been poor this season. There has just been a lack of consistency in the energy we feel from the home crowd, particularly in the Nottingham Forest defeat.

An early goal in this one would go a long way to firing everyone up and making it a difficult night for the Hammers.