As the reds brace for a “tough” quarter-final clash with west ham united on wednesday evening, caoimhin kelleher of liverpool is hoping for another taste of carabao cup glory.
“it’s going to be a tough game against west ham, but we should all win and move one step closer to wembley,” the irish goalkeeper, who will start the match at anfield. “west ham are certainly a good team,” kelleher said, acknowledging the challenge ahead on wednesday. “when we played them in the league already this season at home, it was a tough game.”
We just need to be prepared right for it. david moyes’ squad comes into the game on the back of a solid recent run, including a 2-0 win over freiburg in the europa league and a 3-0 victory over wolverhampton wanderers at the weekend. The hammers also advanced to this stage of the competition thanks to a convincing 3-1 win over current league leaders arsenal. if the reds win on wednesday, they will be just one step closer to reaching the wembley final.
Kelleher said of the thrill of winning the carabao cup in 2022 early in the season: “it’s great that you can win a trophy so early in the season, in february,” giving the team a really positive feeling to end the season. “the competition has been good for the 25-year-old on a personal level as well. “it has given me a lot of opportunities to get games and stuff like that personally.” I have only good memories when this tournament comes along, so i’m always eager to play in it. if penalty kicks are required on wednesday night, one man who will not be fazed is the irishman, who has a stellar record in shootouts.
He said, “it’s not bad!” about his record. With six saves in penalty shootouts to his name, the goalkeeper holds the club record and maintains a perfect winning streak in such situations. If the clock strikes 90 minutes, kelleher’s experience could prove crucial. He’ll be raving about it: “you never know if there might be a few more this season, so i’d like to try to add to it a bit.”
