Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will be looking to gain a foothold in the Carabao Cup final this Wednesday as the two meet in the semi-final first leg.
The Reds are the defending champions, having triumphed in the competition during Jurgen Klopp’s final season on Merseyside, while Tottenham fans will have to remember their EFL Cup title in 2008 – the last time Spurs won a trophy.
The duel on Wednesday should be a blast if the pre-Christmas duel between the two teams is anything to go by. Liverpool won 6-3 in north London in December in a stunningly open affair, with Luis Diaz and Mohamed Salah both scoring braces.
Since then, Spurs have failed to win any of their three games as injuries continue to hamper their season. Another weakened side will face Liverpool in midweek, with the Reds potentially making changes of their own after Sunday’s grueling draw against rivals Manchester United.
Here is 90 minutes Guide to the Final Four clash between Tottenham and Liverpool.
Tottenham vs Liverpool H2H record (last five games)
Current form (all competitions)
Tottenham | Liverpool |
|---|---|
Tottenham 1-2 Newcastle – 12/04/24 | Liverpool 2-2 Man Utd – 12/05/24 |
Tottenham 2-2 Wolves – 12/29/24 | West Ham 0-5 Liverpool – 12/29/24 |
Nottingham Forest 1-0 Tottenham – 12/26/24 | Liverpool 3-1 Leicester – 12/26/24 |
Tottenham 3-6 Liverpool – 12/22/24 | Tottenham 3-6 Liverpool – 12/22/24 |
Tottenham 4-3 Man Utd – 12/19/24 | Southampton 1-2 Liverpool – 12/18/24 |
country | TV channel/live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Football, Sky Sports+, Sky Ultra HD, Sky GO, Sky GO Extra, NOW TV |
United States | Paramount+ |
Canada | DAZN Canada |
Spurs will not only be without numerous first-team players due to injury, but also James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr due to suspension. Both have received two yellow cards in the past rounds.
Tottenham’s defense is decimated by the visit of the Premier League’s top scorers, with Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie all missing. Fraser Forster was absent at the weekend due to illness, so new singer Antonin Kinsky could appear between the posts.
Further forward, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are still missing due to long-term injury problems, but Ange Postecoglou has confirmed that youngster Mikey Moore could be in the matchday squad after a lengthy illness.
Predicted line-up for Tottenham vs Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma; Johnson, Kulusevski, son; Solanke.
Liverpool have had a comparatively rosy season in terms of injuries but will be without versatile defender Joe Gomez, who suffered a hamstring strain in the 5-0 win over West Ham United. He won’t be missing until the end of January at the earliest.
Dominik Szoboszlai missed the weekend’s draw against Man Utd due to illness and Arne Slot has confirmed he is not eligible for Wednesday.
“Yesterday [Monday] he wasn’t there [training] still. If he’s here today, I doubt he’ll be available to start the game. But hopefully he’ll be there today. Yesterday he wasn’t,” admitted the Dutchman.
Otherwise, Liverpool has a fully-fledged squad – even if Slot rotates his team. Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate both returned from five weeks in the treatment room against Man Utd on Sunday, while Diogo Jota could secure a first start since his return against Spurs.
Predicted line-up for Liverpool vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Iota.
Goals are all but certain at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and last month’s nine-goal affair is an indication of what’s to come this Wednesday. However, with Liverpool potentially making changes after a tiring game against Man Utd last weekend, the targets could be more evenly spread on this occasion.
Spurs showed their attacking prowess in the 6-3 defeat and produced a late performance as Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke shone. Liverpool’s formidable attack should continue to have fun during the week, leading to a frenetic affair that could keep Spurs at Anfield in the return leg in early February.