For the Baggies, Peter Odemwingie will serve the last match of his three-game ban after being sent off against Fulham.

James Morrison and Jerome Thomas (both leg) will definitely miss the game but the former may make a return soon.

Goran Popov missed the game against Reading and may still be unavailable alongside Steven Reid (hamstring), who was injured against Liverpool in the teams’ Premier League meeting last month.

Liverpool midfielder Jonjo Shelvey’s red card against Manchester United means that he is suspended for three games, this being his first.

Daniel Agger (knee), Fabio Borini (ankle) and Martin Kelly (knee) all suffered knocks of varying severities in the game against the Red Devils and, though the former two could potentially return to face the Baggies, Kelly expects a lengthy absence.

Manager Brendan Rodgers may use this game to look at a selection of the club’s talented youngsters, with Jamie Carragher the experienced head.

• Stewart Downing (pictured, right) has won the League Cup with two different teams, having claimed a winner’s medal last season for Liverpool, and also in 2004 when he was part of the Middlesbrough side that triumphed 2-1 over Bolton at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

• Reds captain Steven Gerrard was a part of Liverpool’s memorable cup treble in the 2000-01 season, in which they won the League Cup on penalties over Birmingham City.

• Last season, West Brom came unstuck away to Liverpool’s rivals Everton in the third round of the League Cup, going down to a 2-1 defeat after extra time thanks to a winner in the 103rd minute from Phil Neville.

• The Baggies have won four of their last six games in all competitions, including a 3-0 defeat of Liverpool on the opening day of the season.

• West Brom won the League Cup in 1966, and finished as runners up in 1967 after a 3-2 defeat to QPR at Wembley Stadium, in the first final to be decided over a single game.