Bidding to advance to the Carabao Cup final, Tottenham Hotspur travel to Anfield to face Liverpool in the competition’s semi-final second leg on Thursday evening.
Spurs hold a slender 1-0 advantage from last month’s first leg following a late strike from Lucas Bergvall. Ange Postecoglou’s side have failed to use that win over the Reds as a springboard for achieving some sort of stability, especially in the Premier League where they remain in the bottom half of the table.
Nonetheless, a 2-0 away success over Brentford last weekend should give the North Londoners confidence heading into the game against Liverpool, who have been terrific since the start of the season under new boss Arne Slot.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Tottenham have suffered a massive blow ahead of the Liverpool Cup game after it was confirmed on Tuesday that Radu Dragusin has suffered an ACL injury and will not feature again this season. Micky van de Ven missed the win over Brentford after Ange Postecoglou decided to manage his minutes following his recent return from a hamstring injury.
Mathys Tel’s first interview has landed 📥 pic.twitter.com/OUJZkaFwuX
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 4, 2025
Meanwhile, Spurs completed the signing of forward Mathys Tel on loan from Bayern Munich on deadline day, but whether he’d be able to face Liverpool remains in limbo. Before his signing, the club announced the signing of defender Kevin Danso on loan from RC Lens last weekend, and like Tel, his availability for Thursday’s game is not confirmed yet.
Predicted Tottenham Hotspur lineup vs Liverpool (4-3-3)
Goalkeeper
Antonin Kinsky kept his first clean sheet in the Premier League in Spurs’ 2-0 win over Brentford last weekend. This should give the young shot-stopper a lot of confidence heading into the game at Anfield.
Defence
With Micky van de Ven’s availability in doubt, Postecoglou is expected to stick with Archie Gray and Ben Davies in central defence from the Brentford win. The Spurs centre-backs have to be at their sublime best to stop a fiery Liverpool attack likely to be spearheaded by Luis Diaz in midweek.
Pedro Porro has been a regular fixture at right-back under Postecoglou and should start here, with Djed Spence operating from the opposite side of the defence. They will need to curb their attacking instincts to contain Liverpool’s dangerous wide players.
Midfield
Postecoglou will aim to put out his best midfield three on the pitch at Anfield. Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr should be relatively fresh after coming off the bench against Brentford, so they are expected to get the nod to start here.
Rodrigo Bentancur’s experience and calmness in possession will be vital from the deeper role, whilst providing balance to the Tottenham side. Yves Bissouma may be called upon to add more energy and bite in midfield when required.
Attack
Dejan Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s best player this season and deserves to start. How he plays on the night could have a huge impact on this cup fixture’s result. The Swede should start on the right flank, with Son Heung-min aiming to produce a skipper’s performance from the opposite wing.
Leading the line will be Richarlison, who could prove a real handful for the Liverpool defenders in the box.
