No English side has ever completed “the quadruple” but could Liverpool make history in 2023/24 by winning all four of the major trophies on offer? Well, no, not exactly, because they aren’t in the Champions League this term. The quadruple is generally held to mean a team has to win the three main domestic trophies – Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup – as well as the Champions League.
Last season Man City came very close, winning the biggest three prizes but missing out on the League Cup. That matched the accomplishments of their city rivals, United, who also won the CL, PL and FA Cup, back in 1999. In a sense, Liverpool also came very close in the 2021/22 campaign, even though they “only” won the two least prestigious trophies, the FA Cup and the League Cup. However, they played every single game that was open to them that season, losing the Champions League final to Real Madrid – when they probably deserved to win – and just missing out on the league title to Man City despite amassing 92 points.
However, any side that lifts four pieces of silverware in the same campaign can claim to have won a quadruple of sorts. When most fans talk about this, they do not usually include the likes of the Community Shield, the Club World Cup, the European Super Cup or any other lesser competitions. However, if Liverpool were to win the three domestic competitions plus the Europa League, that would pretty much be the second-best quadruple possible.
What’s more, no English team has ever won such a quadruple. In fact, no team in Europe has ever won the sort of “foursome” we are talking about here, although to be fair, most nations do not have a secondary domestic cup competition. So, can the Reds become the first team ever to lift the Europa League, the Premier League, the FA Cup and the League Cup all in the same campaign? There is a long way to go, but already – at the time of writing – they are the only side that is still in with a chance and, what’s more, things seem to be going very well.
Liverpool’s Chances in the…
Premier League
After playing 20 games, the Merseysiders find themselves right where they would want to be: at the top of the Premier League table. They are three points clear of the surprise package, Aston Villa and five ahead of Man City, although Pep Guardiola’s outfit have a game in hand. Realistically many experts believe it is a two-horse race between Jurgen Klopp and Pep, especially with Arsenal’s form over the past month or so meaning they have dropped to fourth, albeit level on points with City (though having played the same number of games as Liverpool).
The bookmakers make City very clear favourites though, pricing them at around 4/6 and Liverpool at 23/10, equating to around a 50% chance of success and a 28% chance respectively. Arsenal are much longer at 7/1, with Aston Villa arguably the value pick at a whopping 28/1, even if their chances of success remain slim.
Liverpool obviously have a very good chance though and their revamped midfield looks strong, whilst their wealth of options in the attacking third is a major plus. On the downside, they are now without Mo Salah and Wataru Endo, and the pair (who are away on international duty) could miss as many as eight or nine games if their respective nations do well at AFCON and the Asia Cup. In contrast, City have lost no players to those two continental tournaments.
Europa League
Liverpool are the firm favourites to win UEFA’s second-tier competition in 2024 and are priced at 11/5 with most firms. Bayer Leverkusen, excelling in Germany under the brilliant management of former Liverpool ace Xabi Alonso, are second favourites at 5/1, with AC Milan well back at 11/1. Klopp’s side topped Group E and are automatically through to the last 16, so they will certainly have Salah back for the resumption of this competition in March. There are some good sides in the Europa League, as usual, but the Reds are worthy favourites and stand a great chance of going all the way.
FA Cup
Liverpool recently got past Arsenal in the Third Round of the FA Cup and whilst they rode their luck, they were far more clinical than their wasteful hosts. They have a nice draw in the fourth round too and are set to play lower-league opposition on home soil. With Arsenal gone and Spurs hosting Man City in the Fourth Round, Liverpool have a very decent chance of lifting the FA Cup yet again.
Of course, there is a long way to go and at some stage it is very likely that the Reds would have to face a top-class Premier League opponent. However, with City or Spurs set to join Arsenal on the sidelines, and a further five all-Premier League ties possible (subject to replays), the draw could certainly be opening up nicely for the eight-time winners of the FA Cup.
Liverpool are currently the second favourites at 3/1, with only City shorter (17/10) and Man United out at 8/1. With the rest of the field at double-digit odds, the bookies obviously think the Reds have a strong chance of lifting the FA Cup and we agree.
League Cup
The League Cup is the first piece of silverware handed out each season and it is the most advanced, with just four teams left in it. Middlesbrough beat Chelsea 1-0 in the first leg of their semi with the second game to come at the Bridge. As for Liverpool, they opened with a 2-1 coming-from-behind home win against Fulham. They are odds-on (1/2) favourites to lift this trophy in the current betting and this certainly looks like their best chance of landing at least one competition in the 2023/24 campaign.
Conclusion: Liverpool Europa Quadruple Unlikely
The Reds might just surprise us all and deliver the goods – four times over – but in truth it is unlikely. They have work to do in the EFL Cup but it would be a surprise if they didn’t win that trophy. They also have a great chance to win the Europa League but the probability of them winning the league is relatively low and the same applies to the FA Cup.
Whilst they are favourites or second favourites for all four competitions, when these probabilities are multiplied, their overall chance of a Liverpool quadruple has to be regarded as very slim. In fact, based on the odds of the bookies, they have less than a 1% chance of achieving a clean sweep!
