Carabao Cup match preview and betting tips: Aston Villa v Liverpool
Aston Villa welcome a very young Liverpool side to Villa Park on Tuesday night. Tom Carnduff has 9/4 and 11/1 best bets.
Recommended bets
1pt Herbie Kane to score anytime at 11/1
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Aston Villa v Liverpool (Sky Sports Football, 1945 GMT)
There has been significant publicity surrounding this match as Liverpool are in Club World Cup action just 24 hours later.
It's forced Jurgen Klopp into splitting his squad into two - with the senior players heading to Qatar and their youth prospects in action in the West Midlands.
The likes of Harvey Elliott, Rhian Brewster, Ki-Jana Hoever and Sepp Van Den Berg will all be involved in a very young Liverpool side - one that will be defiant but ultimately end up unsuccessful at Villa Park.
Neil Critchley, the Reds' under-23s coach, will be in charge of the visitors which will be a boost to those on the pitch.
"I am honoured to be in this position - but this is about the young players," Critchley told the Telegraph. He'll be eager to ensure that those involved will try and seize the opportunity that has been presented to them.
Liverpool's Club World Cup squad
Alisson, Van Dijk, Wijnaldum, Milner, Keita, Firmino, Mane, Salah, Gomez, Adrian, Henderson, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Lallana, Lonergan, Shaqiri, Robertson, Origi, Jones, Alexander-Arnold, Williams.
Villa are a best price of 3/10 for victory - something that would be far from the case if Liverpool at full strength. There is little value in going for the outright market here.
It's also tough to side with value in the anytime goalscorer market. Wesley, Keinan Davis, Jonathan Kodjia, Trezeguet, Anwar El Ghazi and Jack Grealish are just some of a number of Villa players who are lower than 2/1 to strike at any point in the contest.
There is a strong case to made for Liverpool hitting the net in this game though and the 11/1 price on Herbie Kane scoring anytime is intriguing.
The 21-year-old has experience of senior football having spent last season on-loan at Doncaster where he had direct involvement in 17 goals across all competitions.
Primarily a midfielder, Kane has found himself utilised in more advanced positions for Liverpool's under-23s throughout their Premier League 2 campaign.
That could be an indication of where he is going to play on Tuesday night with Critchley in charge. This 11/1 price could be on someone playing as a striker, which is remarkable value in any contest.
Even more so in a contest with goals. Liverpool's 5-5 draw with Arsenal in the last round did see senior players involved, but a number of youth prospects were also given their opportunity - particularly in defence.
Villa will still hold some confidence despite a poor run of form in the Premier League. Their defeats came against sides in the top-ten, and they earned plaudits for their performance at Old Trafford.
They'll view this as the perfect opportunity to snap that winless run. A game against a young, inexperienced side at home should also see the net struck on multiple occasions.
That's not to completely take Liverpool out of the goal-scoring equation either. This is a club that clearly possesses believe and the right attitude throughout, alongside some very talented youngsters.
Score prediction: Aston Villa 4-2 Liverpool (Sky Bet odds: 33/1)
Best bet: Herbie Kane to score anytime at 11/1
Best bet: Over 4.5 goals at 9/4
Odds correct as of 1150 GMT on 16/12/19
Follow Sporting Life on social media - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLifeFC
Related football links
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.