Tottenham Hotspur will host Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals on Wednesday, looking to secure an advantage in the tie.
Tottenham Hotspur will look to pick up a morale-boosting victory at home when they host Liverpool on Wednesday night, and it remains to be seen whether the players can step up and produce a strong performance.
Spurs were recently beaten by Liverpool at home in the Premier League, and they will look to avenge that defeat here. There is no doubt that Ange Postecoglou’s men have a quality squad and that they could easily grind out a positive result here.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are coming into this game on the back of a disappointing draw against Manchester United, and they will need to raise their performance levels if they want to get a good result here. The Reds looked quite vulnerable at the back against Manchester United, and Tottenham have the attacking quality to expose their defensive frailties.
Tottenham reached the EFL Cup semi-finals by beating Coventry City, Manchester City, and Manchester United in the previous rounds. Meanwhile, Liverpool got past West Ham United, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Southampton to reach the penultimate stage. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, and Wilson Odobert are sidelined with hamstring injuries. Meanwhile, Guglielmo Vicario is unavailable after his ankle surgery. Pape Matar Sarr and Djed Spence are suspended.
Tottenham Hotspur are set to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Liverpool, with winter signing Antonin Kinsky in goal. Pedro Porro and Djed Spence will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Archie Gray will start alongside Radu Dragusin at the heart of the defence.
As for the midfield unit, Yves Bissouma will start alongside Rodrigo Bentancur. They will look to protect the team defensively and break up the opposition’s attacking moves. Dejan Kulusevski will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates.
Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min will start in the wide areas, and they will add pace, flair and goals to the side. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham against Liverpool on Wednesday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Gray, Dragusin, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur; Johnson, Kulusevski, Son; Solanke
Liverpool
Liverpool will be without Joe Gomez due to a hamstring injury he picked up against Leicester City last month.
The Reds are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Caoimhin Kelleher in goal. Connor Bradley and Kostas Tsimikas will start as the full-backs, and they will look to help out at both ends of the pitch. Jarell Quansah will form the central defensive partnership alongside Virgil van Dijk.
As for the midfield unit, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch will add defensive cover and control to the side. Dominik Szoboszlai will start as the attacking midfielder here and he will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates. Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz will add creativity and goals from the wide areas, with Diogo Jota leading the line for Liverpool against Tottenham.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kelleher; Bradley, Quansah, van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Endo; Salah, Szoboszlai, Diaz; Jota
Key Stats
- Tottenham are without a win in their last four matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool have picked up four wins and two draws from the last six matches in all competitions.
- 30 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two sides.
- Both teams have scored in each of the last six matches between them.
- Tottenham have conceded 14 goals in their last five matches in all competitions.
- Liverpool have conceded nine goals in their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to Watch
Mohamed Salah
The Egyptian has been unstoppable this season and he continues to perform at a high level every week. Liverpool are likely to rest many their key players for this game, but it seems quite likely that they will have to start Salah here.
The veteran attacker has been carrying the Liverpool attack for months, and he is our key player to watch out for. He will look to carve out opportunities for his teammates and get on the score sheet himself. Liverpool will need him to step up and deliver if they want to grind out a win in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-2 Liverpool
Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Matches between Liverpool and Tottenham are often packed with goals, and this one is unlikely to be any different. Both teams prefer a high-pressing attacking style of football, and there will be plenty of opportunities for both teams to score goals.
A high-scoring contest is on the cards, but the two sides are likely to cancel each other out here. They are likely to share the spoils in a draw. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-2 draw in the EFL Cup semi-final first leg.
