Lucas Bergvall’s late winner helped secure a 1-0 victory for Spurs over Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Now, Ange Postecoglou’s side will aim to defend this slender lead when the two teams meet at Anfield on Thursday night.
Tottenham’s season has largely been a disappointment, but quite incredibly, they are just a few steps away from winning a major trophy. Despite collecting only 27 points from 24 Premier League matches, Spurs have been highly effective against the top English sides.
They put four goals past Aston Villa, defeated Manchester United, and secured two victories over Manchester City while scoring six goals against the defending champions in these two matches.
There’s no doubt Spurs will have to deliver an outstanding performance to prevent Liverpool from scoring at home. However, rather than simply trying to contain the Reds, Postecoglou’s strategy will most likely focus on outscoring the Reds.
Tottenham Hotspur team news and injury updates:
Spurs currently have the longest injury list in the Premier League, with as many as nine first-team players set to miss out.
Micky van de Ven is a doubt for the midweek clash amid reports that he has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. If the Dutch defender is unavailable, it would be a huge blow for Postecoglou, especially since Radu Dragusin has just been ruled out for the rest of the season with an ACL injury.
Should Van de Ven be sidelined, Ben Davies and Archie Gray will have to pair up in central defence once again. While the duo performed well against Bournemouth, containing Mohamed Salah and Liverpool’s other forwards will be a much more difficult challenge.
Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has returned to training after recovering from an ankle fracture but is still some time away from being match-fit.
In attack, Spurs are without key players such as James Maddison, Timo Werner, and Dominic Solanke, all of whom will miss Thursday’s fixture. The club has signed Mathys Tel, but his availability depends on his work permit and paperwork.
If Tel is eligible, he will start as the centre-forward, thereby allowing Postecoglou to deploy Richarlison on the right wing. If not, then 17-year-old Mikey Moore will have to play on the right flank and will be a disaster.
Spurs predicted lineup vs Liverpool:
Goalkeeper: Kinsky
Defenders: Pedro Porro, Archie Gray, Ben Davies/Micky van de Ven, Djed Spence
Midfielders: Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur
Attackers: Richarlison, Mathys Tel/Mikey Moore, Son Heung-min
