Tottenham host Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final

Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool in the first leg of their semi-final meeting in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, January 8th, as they look to pick up an advantage over the Reds before taking them on at Anfield some time later. The EFL Cup is a particularly important competition for Ange Postecoglou as it could decide his future if rumours were to be trusted after a poor string of results.

Spurs faced Liverpool at the backend of 2024 and lost 6-3, although they will pick up a couple of positives from the match, like scoring thrice against a stubborn defence and competing well in spite of having a number of unfit players, while hoping to use those points when trying to put on a better showing in their midweek bout in the cup competititon.

Team News

Tottenham Hotspur

Not much has changed for the better at Tottenham Hotspur in terms of fitness as Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Mikey Moore, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert are all expected to miss out. Fortunately for Postecoglou, there are no suspension problems to deal with besides his lengthy injury list.

Tottenham had to labour against Newcastle United in their previous Premier League outing but still came away worse off after a 2-1 defeat, but their defensive shape and offensive intent during the game versus the Magpies will be two positives Postecoglou hopes the players will repeat. Having said that, he is also likely to field his best starting eleven for the match rather than rotating.

PREDICTED TOTTENHAM XI (4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Sarr, Maddison, Kulusevski; Son, Solanke, Johnson

Liverpool

Liverpool will be without only Joe Gomez, who is expected to miss the remainder of January owing to an injury. The Reds, like Tottenham Hotspur, do not have suspensions coming into the match. Having said that, Arne Slot is still likely to rotate his side and give a number of fringe players a chance, particularly as his preferred options have played extensively in the Premier League recently.

There could be minutes in between the sticks for Caoimhin Kelleher, while the defence could be rotated significantly as well. In midfield, the likes of Harvey Elliott and Wataru Endo may be given the nod. Offensively, Mohamed Salah could be rested but an in-form man in Cody Gakpo is likely to get the nod having struck four goals in the Carabao Cup already this season.

PREDICTED LIVERPOOL XI (4-3-3): Kelleher; Bradley, Konate, Quansah, Tsimikas; Endo, Elliott, Szoboszlai; Gakpo, Nunez, Jota

Match-deciding duel

Son Heung-min vs Conor Bradley

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min is not going through his best patches of form but most offensive moves could still flow through him given his experience and track record in the big games. He will be up against Liverpool’s secondary right back Conor Bradley, though he is a player who cannot be underestimated, especially given how he performed against Real Madrid some time ago.

Having said that, Son is still very much capable of taking on the young Northern Irishman and if he starts the game on a good note, he could hold the advantage over Bradley. That’s not to say that the South Korean will not have to track back. His defensive work-rate will be just as important given Djed Spence, a makeshift player will be used at left back, and Liverpool will look to double up on him.

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• Tottenham now in position to hijack Chelsea deal for Serie A ace

Prediction

Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Liverpool

Liverpool have not done as well defensively in their last few matches while nothing worth writing home about has been done by Tottenham’s back four either. A number of goals are likely to be scored in this match. Tottenham will definitely managed to squeeze two past a heavily rotated Liverpool side while their opponent’s offensive department will also have enough gas to level the score and ensure that the tie is decided at Anfield on February 6th.