1. Cherries will be hoping to reach the semi-final for the first time in their history, while Liverpool will be looking to take another step towards a 12th final. Winners of the competition on eight occasions and runners-up three times, the Reds have the best League Cup record in the country. They won the cup for four years in succession between 1981 and 1984 and again in 1995, 2001, 2003 and 2012. They were runners-up in 1978, 1987 and 2005.

2. Cherries have reached the fourth round on only two occasions, in 1961 and 1964. Between 1965 and 1987, a dismal run in the competition saw them reach the third round only once – in 1969.

3. Former Football League secretary Alan Hardaker conceived and oversaw the launch of the League Cup in 1960. His original proposal had suggested enlarging the league from 92 to 100 clubs, consisting of five divisions of 20 teams, plus the creation of a new cup competition. Clubs rejected the league shake-up but kept the League Cup.

4. A host of stars of the future have made their professional debuts in the competition, including Cesc Fabregas who was 16 when he became Arsenal’s youngest player after lining up in a third round tie against Rotherham in 2003. England stars John Terry, Jermain Defoe and David Beckham all made their first appearances in the competition, while Wayne Rooney and Theo Walcott scored their first career goals in it.

5. In 1981, the competition broke new ground by becoming the first to bear the name of a sponsor following a deal with the National Dairy Council. It was known as the Milk Cup between 1981 and 1986, while further sponsorships have seen it referred to as the Littlewoods Cup, Rumbelows Cup, Coca-Cola Cup, Worthington Cup, Carling Cup and now Capital One Cup.

6. Most Premier League clubs enter the competition in the second round, although those that have qualified for the Champions League or Europa League join in the third round. The winners qualify for the following season’s Europa League unless they have qualified for the Champions League through their league position, in which case the Europa League berth goes to the highest-placed team from the Premier League not already qualified for Europe.

7. Both Cherries and Liverpool will receive more from a broadcast fee from their quarter-final than they would in prize money if they were to win the League Cup final. The winners bank £100,000 in prize money, while the runners-up receive £50,000 and losing semi-finalists £25,000 each. With the tie being shown live on Sky Sports, both clubs will get a broadcast fee of £125,000. A televised Premier League game earns both clubs around £750,000 in broadcast fees.

8. Liverpool share with West Ham the record for the highest-scoring victory in the competition. Steve McMahon netted four times – and missed a penalty – as the Reds trounced Fulham 10-0 in the second round in 1986-87. Ian Rush and John Wark netted twice, while Ronnie Whelan and Steve Nicol were also on target. The Fulham team, which was managed by current England number two Ray Lewington, included Peter Scott, who went on to make nine appearances for Cherries in 1992. West Ham beat Bury 10-0 in the second round in 1983.

9. Both Cherries and Liverpool will bank 45 per cent of the net gate receipts from their quarter-final clash with the remaining 10 per cent going into a Football League pool which is divided among all clubs taking part. In the event of the scores being level at the end of 90 minutes, an extra 30 minutes will be played. If the tie is still undecided after extra-time, the winners will be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark.

10. Commissioned and paid for by former Football League president Joe Richards, the trophy was designed and produced by Mappin & Webb, one of the UK’s leading retailers of fine jewellery and silverware. The unusual three-handled trophy is a feature based on an old design from a loving cup. Modelled in a typical Georgian style, the trophy is in the shape of an urn with C-scroll handles and panels of shell and scroll decoration.

11. Cherries and Liverpool both have loan players in their respective squads whose club managers played in the 1994 World Cup finals in America. Artur Boruc is on loan to Cherries from Southampton, who are managed by former Holland international Ronald Koeman, while Javi Manquillo is on loan to Liverpool from Atletico Madrid, who are managed by ex-Argentina star Diego Simeone.