Carabao Cup Clash: Tottenham vs Liverpool Team News
Tottenham and Liverpool head into their Carabao Cup third-round clash at Anfield with both managers juggling problems rather than picking from a position of strength.
For Roberto De Zerbi, the headline is stark: Sandro Tonali will not feature. The 26-year-old midfielder has taken a knock and joins a growing list of absentees for Tuesday night on Merseyside.
In his press conference at Hotspur Way on Monday, De Zerbi ran through a team sheet full of red marks before landing on one long-awaited positive.
“Kulusevski not available, Pedro still not available, Udogie yes. No Sandro Tonali, he felt a knock,” he said, via football.london.
So, no Dejan Kulusevski. No Pedro Porro. No Tonali. But finally, Destiny Udogie is back in the frame, a rare boost at a time when options are thinning.
Richarlison left out as stand-off continues
Mykhailo Mudryk, Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert will also sit out the trip to Anfield, stripping more flair and unpredictability from Spurs’ attacking rotation.
Then comes the ongoing saga around Richarlison.
The Brazilian made it clear in the summer that he wanted to leave. He is technically eligible to play in the Carabao Cup, even though he has not been registered for Premier League action. De Zerbi, though, has drawn a firm line: he will not be in the squad.
“Richarlison, you already know everything, so nothing changes with the Carabao Cup or Premier League,” the Italian said. The competition doesn’t alter the stance; the situation is frozen.
He expanded on the issue, without lifting the lid entirely.
“I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It’s not right if I explained. It’s not my behavior, the relationship. The problem is between the player and the club. I stay within the club. It’s coach and club together.
“At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay, and he didn’t want to. I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.”
No bridge-building. No late U-turn. For now, Richarlison stands apart from the project, even as Spurs head into a demanding stretch of fixtures.
De Zerbi leans on Solanke and new faces
With so many creative players unavailable, De Zerbi turned his attention to those who remain, and who now have to carry the load.
“[Dominic] Solanke is a good player,” he said. “He needs to improve his physical condition and stay positive because he can score many goals with us. [Omar] Marmoush and Savio were not the protagonist but that is different here.”
Solanke becomes central to the plan, asked to lead the line and sharpen up quickly. Marmoush and Savio, more peripheral figures in previous roles, are being challenged to step into the spotlight in De Zerbi’s system.
The absences mean opportunity. They also leave little margin for error.
Iraola wrestling with Liverpool’s schedule strain
On the other side, Andoni Iraola is not dealing with transfer stand-offs, but with the grind of Liverpool’s calendar.
Speaking on Monday, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo, the Spaniard laid out the scale of the task.
“It’s the third game (in seven days) it’s the worst scenario in terms of schedule, we haven’t been lucky.
“After this one we have a little bit more before we play Bournemouth and you noticed the gap between Ipswich and Atletico and Atletico and Fulham. It’s a big difference.”
Liverpool have already felt the squeeze between domestic and European demands. Iraola knows he cannot simply send out the same XI and hope for the best.
“We have to get used to it. You can put the same players in every game. The problem is there will be a moment they are really tired, and there is more risk of injury.
“There are players who play every three days and have no issues; they can accept it, and performances don’t change too much. Then there are players where the risk is bigger and the performances are different.
“And we are in a position where I have to learn who is ready to play and who is ready to rest, so their performance level doesn’t drop. I had an idea with some of them, but for some of them it is new as they haven’t played as many games before.”
So Iraola walks a tightrope: protect his squad, but stay competitive in a cup Liverpool expect to challenge for.
De Zerbi arrives at Anfield without key names and with a marquee forward frozen out. Iraola faces his own test, trying to read his players’ limits in real time. One of them will manage the risks better. The Carabao Cup rarely waits for anyone still working things out.
