Joe Gomez Returns for Liverpool in Carabao Cup Clash
Joe Gomez is back. Liverpool’s versatile defender is in line for his first minutes of the season tonight, with Andoni Iraola ready to bring him into the squad for the Carabao Cup third-round tie against Tottenham at Anfield.
The England international has not kicked a ball competitively this campaign after a muscle strain in pre-season halted his progress. Now he has cleared that hurdle and rejoined full training, putting himself firmly in contention.
“Joe is training with the team and is available for tomorrow. It's a matter of deciding how much he can play,” Iraola said on Monday, leaving the door open to anything from a cautious cameo to a full-blooded start under the lights.
Gomez’s return will not be the only tweak. Iraola has already signposted broader changes, hinting that this cup tie will double as an audition for some of the squad’s lesser-seen faces.
“We will see tomorrow players we haven't seen,” he teased, a clear signal that the rotation Liverpool fans usually expect in this competition is coming.
That could finally open the stage for Wataru Endo. The Japan international has watched from the bench so far this season, an unused substitute waiting for his chance. A domestic cup tie at Anfield is often where new or fringe midfielders stake an early claim; Endo will expect to be in that conversation when the teamsheets drop.
Youth is pushing hard behind him. Rio Ngumoha, who injected energy off the bench in the second half against Fulham, looks well placed to step into the starting XI. Trey Nyoni and Lewis Koumas are also in the frame, both having tasted senior action recently as substitutes and now hovering on the brink of their first starts of the campaign.
The temptation to lean on that youthful fearlessness is obvious. So is the counter-argument.
If Iraola prefers experience and wants to build rhythm in his newer signings, Bradley Barcola stands out. The forward is in line for what would be a third start in the space of a week, a sign of growing trust and a chance to sharpen his understanding with the rest of the attack in a competitive setting.
Up front, the options are thinner. With Hugo Ekitike still sidelined, Alexander Isak remains the only established centre-forward available. The burden is his, unless Iraola reshapes the attack and asks Cody Gakpo to operate through the middle, a role he knows well and has filled before.
Between returning stalwarts, restless youngsters, and new signings searching for rhythm, Liverpool’s Carabao Cup tie is no simple early-season formality. It is a selection puzzle, and tonight at Anfield, Iraola’s choices will say plenty about who he trusts for the battles to come.
