Capital One Cup holders Liverpool begin the defence of their trophy with a potentially tricky trip to The Hawthorns to face Steve Clarke’s West Bromwich Albion on Wednesday evening.

Brendan Rodgers is still searching for his first domestic victory since taking over the Anfield hotseat from Kenny Dalglish in the summer and the Reds are chalked up at 11/8 (2.63) to finally deliver a domestic victory for the former Swansea City boss here.

The Baggies will go into the match full of confidence having collected an impressive haul of 10 points from what looked like a potentially difficult start to the season for Steve Clarke’s charges and, of course, thumped Liverpool 3-0 on home turf on the opening day of the league campaign.

Despite that, West Brom are still available at 19/10 (2.90) to win on Wednesday while the same firm offer 23/10 (3.30) that the match finishes level at the end of 90 minutes.

West Brom have hit the target in four of their five Premier League matches so far this season and also managed four goals on the road against Yeovil Town in this competition.

Liverpool have notched in eight of their 10 competitive matches so far this term, including an impressive five-goal haul against Young Boys in the Europa League last week so goals can certainly be anticipated here.

With that in mind, the 17/20 (1.85) quote from Bet365 for both teams to score represents outstanding value and cannot be ignored by shrewd punters.

Those seeking bigger prices may be tempted to take a punt in the correct score market. A 2-1 win for the hosts is chalked up at 10/1 (11.0) while a 1-1 draw is available at 5/1 (6.0) with the same firm.

However, it may be worth siding with cup specialists Liverpool here and the 8/1 (9.0) for a 2-1 win for the Reds is a hugely tempting play.

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Willie Duncan is a freelance sports journalist. Willie, from Edinburgh, has covered Scottish football for over 10 years and he specialises in football betting markets from across Europe. You can also follow Willie on Twitter

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Nuri Sahin has set his sights on an extended run in Liverpool’s starting XI as he bids to win back his place in the Turkey national side.

The midfielder, on loan from Real Madrid, has endured a slow start to his Anfield career, making just two appearances, as he struggles to overcome a number of niggling injuries that hampered his progress in Spain.

Sahin has since fallen out of favour with Turkey coach Abdullah Avci and was dropped to the bench for the World Cup qualifiers against Netherlands and Estonia last month.

But the 24-year-old, who has won 33 caps for his country, has vowed to reignite his career on Merseyside and impress Avci enough to reinstate him to the national team, telling Fifa.com: “First of all, I’ll give everything to have a successful season at Liverpool and to play as many games as possible,” Sahin told FIFA.com.

“Recently I’ve experienced how quickly an injury can set you back. And of course, I want to be in the starting 11 for Turkey. That’s my main aim and I think I’m close to achieving it.”

Sahin, who is the youngest player ever to play and score for Turkey when he notched a goal on his debut in 2005, is optimistic he will be competing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but only if he can steer clear of more injuries.

“I’m confident I’ll be on the pitch in Brazil as long as I stay healthy. That’s what I’ll be focusing on.”

Nuri Sahin has set his sights on an extended run in Liverpool’s starting XI as he bids to win back his place in the Turkey national side.

The midfielder, on loan from Real Madrid, has endured a slow start to his Anfield career, making just two appearances, as he struggles to overcome a number of niggling injuries that hampered his progress in Spain.

Sahin has since fallen out of favour with Turkey coach Abdullah Avci and was dropped to the bench for the World Cup qualifiers against Netherlands and Estonia last month.

But the 24-year-old, who has won 33 caps for his country, has vowed to reignite his career on Merseyside and impress Avci enough to reinstate him to the national team, telling Fifa.com: “First of all, I’ll give everything to have a successful season at Liverpool and to play as many games as possible,” Sahin told FIFA.com.

“Recently I’ve experienced how quickly an injury can set you back. And of course, I want to be in the starting 11 for Turkey. That’s my main aim and I think I’m close to achieving it.”

Sahin, who is the youngest player ever to play and score for Turkey when he notched a goal on his debut in 2005, is optimistic he will be competing at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil but only if he can steer clear of more injuries.

“I’m confident I’ll be on the pitch in Brazil as long as I stay healthy. That’s what I’ll be focusing on.”