Tottenham Face Tough Challenge at Anfield in Carabao Cup
Tottenham limp into Anfield tonight with their Carabao Cup hopes already fraying at the edges.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side, goalless in back-to-back games and winless at Liverpool for 15 years, now head north stripped of two more key pieces and with a high-profile forward still frozen out.
Tonali and Porro ruled out
Sandro Tonali will not feature after picking up a minor knock in the stalemate with Everton, a setback De Zerbi confirmed in the build-up to the tie. Pedro Porro misses out again with the muscular problem that sidelined him at the weekend, another name on an injury list that keeps growing after a disjointed pre-season.
For a squad already short of rhythm and sharpness, losing Tonali’s control in midfield and Porro’s energy on the flank is a serious blow on a night that demands composure and courage.
There is at least one piece of good news. Destiny Udogie returns, the left-back back in contention after being left out against Everton as a precaution. His availability restores some balance to a back line that will need every ounce of pace and aggression to survive under the Anfield lights.
Richarlison still in exile
If the injuries sting, the Richarlison situation cuts deeper.
The Brazilian is eligible to play in the Carabao Cup but will again be left at home. His desire to leave Spurs in the summer was no secret, and when a move failed to materialise before the deadline, he found himself omitted from the club’s Premier League squad and cast into limbo.
Nothing has changed. De Zerbi made that clear when asked whether the forward might at least be drafted in for cup duty at Liverpool. The answer was a firm no. Richarlison stays out in the cold, his stand-off with the club continuing into another competition, another week.
Dejan Kulusevski, a long-term absentee, also remains unavailable. “No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available. Udogie yes. Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” De Zerbi said on Monday.
Rotation, kids and tired legs
The head coach has already hinted at rotation, but this is no simple shuffle of the pack. Spurs are caught between the need for a statement result and the reality of a squad still chasing fitness.
De Zerbi admitted that Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus are all short of full match sharpness. They may still be asked to go again, because the stakes demand it, but their minutes will need managing carefully in the middle of a gruelling early-season schedule.
There could be a glimpse of the future too. Academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett is under consideration for a role from the bench. De Zerbi spoke of the need to spread minutes around, even if only in 30-minute bursts, and a high-intensity cup tie at Anfield is a brutal but valuable classroom for a youngster on the fringes.
Predicted XI and the scale of the task
Spurs are expected to line up with Dubravka in goal behind a back four of Gray, Tosin, Senesi and Udogie. In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur should anchor alongside Bergvall and Gallagher, with Kudus and Solanke supporting Marmoush in attack.
On the treatment table sit Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro and Mudryk. Richarlison remains unavailable by choice rather than by injury.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST at Anfield, live on Sky Sports and ITV4. Tottenham arrive wounded, short of confidence, and with selection headaches everywhere De Zerbi looks.
What they leave with will say plenty about the steel – or fragility – of this new-era Spurs.
