Southampton v Liverpool: 11 pre-match stats
Ahead of this evening's Capital One Cup quarter-final with Southampton, swot up on your pre-match facts with 11 pertinent statistics, courtesy of Ged Rea.
This is the sixth time the teams have been drawn together in the League Cup, with Liverpool winning three of those ties. The last meeting came in 2002-03 with the Reds triumphing 3-1 at Anfield in round three on their way to lifting the trophy against Manchester United in Cardiff later that season.
The last clash between the sides in the League Cup on the south coast came in 1999 with the Reds going down 2-1 despite leading through Michael Owen.
This is the 21st time Liverpool have reached the quarter-final stage of the League Cup and a win will see them into the semi-finals for a record 16th time - a stage they went out at last season when they lost 2-1 on aggregate to Chelsea.
Liverpool have scored in all but three of the last 56 League Cup games – a sequence going back to 1998.
A little over six weeks ago, the sides drew 1-1 in the league at Anfield. Christian Benteke opening the scoring in the 77th minute of the 100th meeting between the teams in league and cup before Sadio Mane, who was later sent off, equalised four minutes from time.
In the last round against Bournemouth, Adam Bogdan became the first Reds ‘keeper since Pepe Reina in the semi-final tie away at Manchester City in 2012 to keep a League Cup clean sheet. Liverpool had gone 12 games without a shut-out going into that contest - he also saved three penalties in the shoot-out win over Carlisle in September.
Five Liverpool players have been sent off in the League Cup, including one in this fixture. Paul Walsh was red carded at The Dell in the first leg of the semi-final in February 1987.
A Liverpool victory will see them seal a third successive victory at Southampton for only the second time in history – the last time this happened was in 1996. They have won the last two visits 3-0 and 2-0, but have never before kept a hat-trick of successive clean sheets at Saints.
Liverpool have lost one of the last 16 games in league and cup and have recorded six wins in the last seven matches - a run that started with a 1-0 win over Bournemouth in the last round.
The Reds have lost one of nine games away from home this season - going down 3-1 to Manchester United in September. Since then they have won three and drawn three.
Southampton were the first team to knock Liverpool out of the League Cup, doing so in November 1960 with a 2-1 victory at Anfield.