BOSS Eddie Howe has described as “one of the ties of the fourth round” Cherries’ League Cup showdown with Liverpool.

Cherries, beaten 3-1 by the Merseysiders in last season’s quarter-finals, head to Anfield at the end of next month bidding to again reach the last eight.

Howe’s team suffered a controversial 1-0 defeat at Liverpool in the Premier League last month when Christian Benteke’s winner was later deemed to have been offside.

Since winning their first two games of the season, Liverpool have drawn four and lost two in all competitions and needed a penalty shootout to scrape past League Two Carlisle in the third round of the League Cup last night.

Howe, who has seen Cherries progress after beating Hartlepool and Preston, told the Daily Echo: “We are really looking forward to it and want to go as far as we can in the League Cup.

“There were a number of shock results in the early stages of the competition but a host of Premier League eventually won through to the fourth round and ours is one of the ties of the round.

“Liverpool have the best League Cup record in the country by some distance and I remember them dominating the competition when I was a kid growing up in the 1980s.

“We were disappointed with the manner of our defeat at Anfield last month but that has gone now and this is another game in another competition.

“We have four very important league games before the next round and those will be our focus until we start preparing for the trip to Liverpool.”

Howe was also keen to thank supporters and added: “Our followings at both Hartlepool and Preston were superb and very much appreciated by me and the players.

“Travelling long distances is expensive and tiring and I know people take time off work to watch us. I can’t thank them enough.”

Before last season, Cherries had only reached the fourth round twice in their history – in 1961 and 1963. Liverpool have won the League Cup on eight occasions and been runners-up three times.

They lost to eventual winners Chelsea in the semi-final last season.

League Cup fourth-round draw: Manchester City v Crystal Palace, Liverpool v Cherries, Manchester United v Middlesbrough, Everton v Norwich City, Southampton v Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday v Arsenal, Hull City v Leicester City, Stoke City v Chelsea (ties to be played on 27 and 28 October).