Preview: Tottenham vs. Liverpool
Yesterday at 04:00 PM
The Reds return to the scene of the crime, as they look to qualify for the League Cup final.
Tottenham vs Liverpool
| Wednesday, January 8th |
EFL Cup | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
8PM BST / 3PM ET
Following a disappointing result against historic rivals Manchester United, Liverpool have an immediate chance to get back to their winning ways, as they travel to London to take on Tottenham for the second time in less than three weeks, this time in the Carabao Cup semi final.
It's been a rough sophomore season for Ange Postecoglu, and his Spurs side, despite being the league's second highest scoring team, are suffering through a spectacular injury crisis at the moment, with Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie, Ben Davies, Christian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert all set to miss out tomorrow.
In addition, James Maddison and Pape Sarr are both unavailable through suspension, while Fraser Forster, Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin are recovering from illness and could be set to return.
The Reds blew the doors of Spurs when the two sides met back in December, and the 6-3 scoreline certainly could have been uglier for hosts on that occasion, so it will be interesting to see which lessons, if any, have been learned in the interim.
Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)
Kelleher; Alexander-Arnold, Konaté, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Núñez, Jota, Salah
For the Reds, Caoimhin Kelleher has been the domestic cup keeper all year and should make his return between the sticks, but with this game holding the key to a cup final and Accrington Stanley coming up next at the weekend, expect a full-strength XI throughout.
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a rough outing on Sunday and could be benched for Conor Bradley, but Ibrahima Konaté and Virgil van Dijk are likely to pair up in the centre of defence once more, as the Frenchman continue to work his way back to full fitness. Kostas Tsimikas could replace Andy Robertson at left-back.
In midfield, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Curtis Jones could start in consecutive games with an eye on a day off at the weekend, and although Dominik Szoboszlai has yet to fully recover from his illness, a start for Harvey Elliott would not go amiss here.
Up top, Mohamed Salah could get his first start in a domestic cup competition this year, while starts for Darwin Núñez and Diogo Jota, to work on confidence and match fitness, respectively, could prove beneficial in the long run, allowing Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo to rest their legs.
What the Managers Said
Arne Slot: "I think what we expect before we go into the game is that two teams have such a clear identity and playing style, that is I think what most people expect to see tomorrow again as well. They have their identity, we have our own identity, and both teams trying to force that identity towards the other."
Ange Postecoglu: "There is a second leg to be played. That doesn't change our approach tomorrow. We're at home and in a two-legged affair, if you can get some kind of advantage in your home game, you are set up pretty well, so that's what we will try to do."
The Officials
Referee: Stuart Attwell
Assistant referees: Lee Betts, Constantine Hatzidakis
Fourth official: Tim Robinson
VAR: Paul Tierney, Timothy Wood
Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM ET tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.
In the meantime, and as always, we'll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it's released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.
