After Newcastle took a 2-0 aggregate lead over Arsenal in the fist leg of the EFL Cup semifinals, Tottenham and Liverpool will meet to kick off the other match. It’s a chance to end a major trophy drought for Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham side, but after losing 6-3 to Liverpool in their last meeting at home, there will be worry about how things will go.
Spurs have been among the most interesting teams in the league, scoring but also conceding goals with ease so facing an in form team like Liverpool will be a scary proposition. All the pressure may be on the Reds with them expected to march to a Premier League title, but Tottenham hasn’t won a trophy since triumphing in this very competition in 2008, so there’s extra motivation to emerge with a victory.
Here’s our storylines, how you can watch the match and more:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Wednesday, Jan 8 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — London
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Tottenham +320; Draw +360; Liverpool -155
Storylines
Tottenham: Lineups will be interesting for Tottenham as there could be a debut in the works. New keeper Antonin Kinsky Jr. has only been with the club for a few days, but the former Slavia Prague man is registered to play and with Fraser Forester recovering from an illness, he could debut in a major moment for the club. It’ll be quite a challenge if the 21-year-old does debut, but after being thrown into the fire in the Czech league, he’ll be ready for whatever comes his way. Richarlison is also back in training adding more depth to a front line that has been stretched to their limits as of late. The defense is still in shambles with the top three center backs all sidelined, but there’s a slim chance to keep this close at home.
Tottenham predicted XI: Antonin Kinsky, Djed Spence, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Pedro Porro, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall, Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke
Liverpool: Ibrahima Konate is back in contention to help Arne Slot get back to his top available defense and the timing couldn’t be better with Joe Gomez out with a thigh injury. Dominik Szoboszlai is the only other player who won’t be available, although changes could come to Liverpool’s XI after dropping points to Machester United their last time out.
Liverpool predicted XI: Alisson, Andrew Robertson, Virgil Van Djik, Ibrahima Konate, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch, Cody Gakpo, Curtis Jones, Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota
Prediction
Despite Tottenham’s defensive issues, there aren’t many teams who can stop them from scoring, especially at home. The one benefit of the current injury crisis is that less experienced players are finding their feet which will help with securing an improbable draw. Pick: Tottenham 2, Liverpool 2
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