Tottenham XI vs Liverpool: Key Absences and Richarlison's Exile

Tottenham head to Anfield stripped of key men and carrying a 15–year hoodoo, with Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro both ruled out of tonight’s Carabao Cup clash and Richarlison still frozen out.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side arrive on Merseyside desperate for a spark. Back‑to‑back 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton have stalled early momentum, and a competition that often sits low on the priority list suddenly looks like a chance to reset the mood.

Instead, the injury list has grown.

Double blow for De Zerbi

Tonali, who had started to knit Spurs’ midfield together, misses out after picking up a minor knock in the draw with Everton. Porro, a driving force down the right when fit, remains sidelined by the muscular problem that kept him out at the weekend.

De Zerbi confirmed both absences in the build‑up, a fresh frustration for a squad already short of rhythm after a disrupted pre-season and now stretched again on one of the most demanding away days in English football.

There is at least one positive. Destiny Udogie, left out against Everton as a precaution, returns and starts at Anfield, restoring some balance on the left and giving Spurs a more familiar look in the back line.

Richarlison left at home

If injuries have hurt Tottenham, the Richarlison situation continues to cast a shadow.

The Brazilian is eligible for the Carabao Cup but remains nowhere near the squad. After repeatedly pushing to leave in the summer, he was omitted from the club’s Premier League list and has not been reintegrated.

Richarlison and Spurs explored an exit right up to the final days of the transfer window. Nothing materialised. The former Everton striker is now in limbo, registered but unused, and De Zerbi made it clear nothing has changed for this tie either.

“No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available. Udogie yes. Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” the Spurs head coach said on Monday.

Dejan Kulusevski, another long-term absentee, remains out, further limiting De Zerbi’s attacking options.

Rotation and a chance for youth

Spurs have rotated for the trip, with De Zerbi juggling the need for freshness against the reality that several players still need minutes.

He even hinted that academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett could feature off the bench if the game allows, a nod to the club’s youth production and the demands of a packed schedule.

“I don't know, Luca. We have to see because many players need to play. Maybe not 90 minutes, 90 minutes, but 30 minutes a real game is important. Yes, there is not Sandro Tonali. I forgot to say because he felt a knock,” De Zerbi added, underlining just how carefully he must manage his resources.

Tonight, Martin Dubravka comes in between the posts. Tosin Adarabioyo is handed his first start at the heart of defence. In midfield, Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher both get the nod, tasked with bringing energy and control in a stadium that rarely grants either.

Further forward, Mathys Tel operates from the left, with Omar Marmoush leading the line and Mohammed Kudus offering the creative threat around them.