Tottenham Faces Liverpool with Key Injuries in Carabao Cup Clash

Tottenham head to Anfield tonight with their squad patched up, their form stuttering and their margins for error shrinking by the week.

A place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup is on the line. So is a little pride.

Double blow for De Zerbi

Roberto De Zerbi’s plans have taken a hit. Twice.

Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro are both out of the trip to Liverpool, stripping Tottenham of two of their most influential figures at either end of the pitch. Tonali picked up a minor knock in the draw with Everton, while Porro is still wrestling with the muscular problem that ruled him out at the weekend.

For a squad already short of rhythm after a disrupted pre-season, it is a brutal timing.

De Zerbi confirmed Tonali’s absence almost as an afterthought in his pre-match briefing, but the impact is anything but minor. The Italian’s control in midfield has quickly become a reference point for Spurs’ build-up. Porro’s absence, meanwhile, removes a key outlet on the right and a major source of delivery.

The one piece of good news: Destiny Udogie is back. Rested as a precaution against Everton, the left-back is available and likely to walk straight back into the starting XI.

Richarlison still frozen out

If injuries are hurting Spurs, the Richarlison saga continues to cast a longer, colder shadow.

The Brazilian is eligible to play in the Carabao Cup. He is fit. He is staying at home.

Richarlison pushed hard to leave Tottenham in the summer and paid for it with his Premier League exile, left out of the squad entirely. A late move never materialised, leaving the former Everton striker in limbo and De Zerbi with a high-profile forward he has no intention of using.

“Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” De Zerbi said, drawing a firm line under the matter.

Dejan Kulusevski remains out as a long-term absentee, another creative option unavailable on a night when Spurs could use every spark they can find.

Fitness doubts and selection puzzles

Tottenham arrive on Merseyside searching for more than just a result. They need a jolt.

Back-to-back 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton have drained momentum and sharpened scrutiny. They have not won at Anfield for 15 years. The setting could hardly be more unforgiving for a side still searching for fluency.

De Zerbi is juggling. He must decide how close to full strength he dares to go, with key players short of full match fitness and a long season still stretching ahead. Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus are all still working their way up to peak condition, yet may be asked to shoulder heavy responsibility.

Rotation is expected, but not a complete overhaul. The manager has already hinted that academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett could be handed minutes, though probably from the bench.

“Many players need to play,” De Zerbi said. “Maybe not 90 minutes, but 30 minutes in a real game is important.”

That line tells its own story: this is as much about building sharpness and depth as it is about survival at Anfield.

Predicted XI and likely shape

The spine looks set, even amid the uncertainty.

Tottenham’s predicted XI:
Dubravka; Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher; Kudus, Solanke, Marmoush.

The injuries pile up around them. Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro and Mudryk are all sidelined. Richarlison remains unavailable by choice rather than condition.

It leaves De Zerbi walking a tightrope: protect tired legs, keep the dressing room engaged, yet still field a side capable of standing up to the Anfield noise and Liverpool’s intensity.

Kick-off is at 8pm BST. The cameras will capture the usual swirling red storm. What they will also show, very clearly, is whether this patched-up Tottenham side can finally rip up 15 years of history and prove that this season still has a spark worth fighting for.