The Reds, who have hoisted the league cup a record 10 times, were beaten in the final of this competition last season by Newcastle, from whom they have since poached winning goal-scorer Alexander Isak.
The Swede could be in line for his second start in a Liverpool shirt, with Arne Slot promising to ring the changes from last weekend’s Merseyside derby.
Saints, meanwhile, were knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the quarter-final stage in 2024-25 by this very opponent, and their campaign ended in relegation from the Premier League.
Life back in the Championship under Will Still hasn’t begun too brightly, either, with just one win from their opening six league matches. Liverpool, on the other hand, are yet to lose since the season began.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Liverpool vs Southampton is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off on Tuesday September 23, 2025.
The match will take place at Anfield, in Liverpool.
Where to watch Liverpool vs Southampton
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on ITV, which is free-to-air and Sky Sports. Coverage begins at ITV 1 at 7.30pm BST but at 7pm on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Ultra HDR ahead of the 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: Sky Sports subscribers can watch the match live online via the Sky Go app, while ITVX will offer a live stream service.
Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog!
Liverpool vs Southampton team news
Arne Slot is expected to ring the changes for the Carabao Cup tie, though Alexander Isak is likely to make just his second Liverpool start following a big-money summer transfer from Newcastle.
The striker is still building up his match fitness after missing the whole of pre-season and the first three games of the campaign.
Fellow summer arrival Giovanni Leoni is in line to make his debut, potentially partnering Joe Gomez in central defence. Georgi Mamardashvili is also set for his first start in place of Alisson Becker.
Rested: Virgil van Dijk
Getty Images
Southampton boss Will Still says he will pick a team of players who deserve to play at Anfield for, after making near wholesale changes in the first and second rounds at Northampton and Norwich respectively.
Still is set choose from a similar squad to Saturday’s defeat at Hull, with no fresh absentees reported.
He said: “I think we’ve got a massive squad. Some players need to play, some players need an opportunity, so that’s what’s going to happen, but we’re never going to completely disregard it and put a load of Under-21s in.
“We’ve got a lot of good players, and some good players that deserve this opportunity, but also some players that have done really well considering the lesser results of the last few weeks, so it’s about getting the right mix between those players that need to play and the ones that deserve to play as well.”
Liverpool vs Southampton prediction
Despite their poor league form, Southampton have notched two wins to nil to reach this point in the cup, beating Northampton Town and Norwich.
However, Liverpool are unbeaten in all six games they’ve played this season and will prove some test for the travelling Saints in their Anfield fortress.
Earlier rounds of the cup this season have already proved that anything is possible, but it’s hard to see a result other than a Liverpool victory here. Don’t be surprised if the visitors nick a goal or two, though – Slot’s men have only kept two clean sheets this season, and there will be at least a few inexperienced and out-of-practice faces in the Reds’ line-up.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The overall head-to-head record in this tie is slightly less one-sided than perhaps some younger football fans might expect given Liverpool’s credentials and Saints recent struggles (especially in the top flight).
But don’t be fooled – the Reds have lost just one of their last 17 meetings (W15, D1) with Southampton in all competitions dating back to May 2017.
That includes last season’s victories in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, as well as home and away wins in the league where the south coast club put up a decent fight.
Liverpool vs Southampton match odds
Odds via Betfair (subject to change).
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