Liverpool F.C. Tottenham Hotspur F.C.

to day playing Tottenham Hotspur F.C. and Liverpool F.C. With almost two-thirds of 2024-25 played, and with a game in hand over the opponents they face on Thursday, the Reds are 13 places and 29 points above Tottenham in the standings. On every single metric you may care to consider, Arne Slot’s hosts are comfortably the better of the two sides.

Liverpool will also use how they performed the first time they faced Tottenham this season as a further source of confidence. They may have lost 1-0 in the semi-final first leg, but in the Premier League, on December 22, they ran out 6-3 winners.

Getting bounced by would surely be a disappointment given the contrasting realities of both teams. Playing at Anfield against an injury-ridden side means Liverpool are obliged to answer the call and reach the final at Wembley Stadium. Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold are the only players set to be unavailable, leaving Slot with plenty of alternatives to mount the comeback.

GK: Alisson—Alisson will aim to keep consecutive clean sheets in this pivotal match.

RB: Connor Bradley—Liverpool’s youngster will replace the injured Alexander-Arnold.

CB: Ibrahima Konaté—Slot will rely on his strongest center back pairing, giving Konaté the nod in the heart of defense.

CB: Virgil van Dijk—Liverpool’s captain will partner Konaté as the leader of the back line.

LB: Andrew Robertson—Known for his ability to go forward throughout his career, Robertson will hope to add to his lone assist of the season.

CM: Ryan Gravenberch—The Dutchman will be Liverpool’s midfield anchor.

CM: Alexis Mac Allister—The World Cup champion’s vision and ability to pick out a pass could be crucial to open up

RW: Mohamed Salah—With four goals in his last three games, Salah continues to be Liverpool’s biggest attacking threat.

AM: Dominik Szoboszlai—Szoboszlai has upped his level in recent months and will bet the nod as the link between midfield and forward lines.

LW: Cody Gakpo—Like Salah, Gakpo is on fire recently, with three goals in his last three appearances.

ST: Luis Díaz—The Colombian isn’t a traditional center forward, but has been impressive playing with freedom spearheading the front lin

There were a number of outgoings at Anfield, though, albeit on temporary deals. Jayden Danns, Stefan Bajcetic and Kaide Gordon were just a few of the names sent out on loan.

“I’ve said it many times, we have a very good squad and if you look at the league table, the players have shown that the trust we have in them was correct,” Slot added.

This fixture will be shown free-to-air on ITV 1 in the UK, with subscribers also able to watch online via ITVX. Coverage begins at 7.30pm.

For the hosts, the only new injury concern after their 2-0 win at the weekend is Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was forced off in that match and is a doubt for midweek. Joe Gomez will likely remain sidelined after his hamstring injury, while Federico Chiesa could return to the squad after not being picked last week.

But Alexander-Arnold has avoided any serious injury and is unlikely to be ruled out for any significant amount of time.Liverpool are all set to host Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup 2024-25 semi-final second leg. Tottenham will have an advantage here as they defeated Arne Slot’s men in the first leg by 1-0. The Reds are the defending champions and will look to make a comeback and seal their spot in the EFL Cup 2024-25 final.

will also be under pressure as they are facing the in-form Liverpool. Ange Postecoglou’s men are not doing well in the Premier League but they are on a decent run when the UEFA Europa League is considered. Spurs will be looking to use the 1-0 advantage to their benefit here. It is going to be a heated outing.

He could provide an additional option for Ange Postecoglou on Thursday night in the second leg of Tottenham’s Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. Kevin Danso joined on loan from Lens on Sunday and could also make his debut at Anfield this week.

Despite concerns from some former Reds — namely Jamie Carragher — that Alexander-Arnold’s legacy would be affected by a move to Madrid, Riise thinks his legendary status at the club will remain unchanged.

“However, players do sometimes need another challenge and to go to Real Madrid or Barcelona, that might be somebody’s dream from a young age, so people have to realise it’s not because he doesn’t like Liverpool, it’s just that it’s a short career.

“Every time he brought the ball down on his chest or on his shoulder, he was like a little bit of a throwback, where I was actually thinking – would Liverpool sign him?”

Carragher though did concede there might be an issue that prevents Paqueta from becoming a serious option for the Reds during the summer transfer window.

Paqueta is undoubtedly a good player – you don’t get interest from City unless you are – but as Carragher points out, would he really work at Liverpool? As much as the former defender isn’t convinced by Szoboszlai, the Hungarian is perfect for the way the Reds play, so we wouldn’t be looking for a way to replace him.

I’ve said it many times, we have a very good squad and if you look at the league table I think the players have shown that the trust we have in them was correct and – apart from Trent [Alexander-Arnold] now maybe for a few days – we don’t have many injuries, not long-term injuries, in moments that the window is open.

No, I don’t think I have to prepare them differently than in any other game. Because from now until the end of the season, it’s been already the whole season, and I think as long as Liverpool exists, if you play in this shirt, you need to win the game. That’s for tomorrow, that’s for Sunday, that’s for Wednesday afterwards and the game after that.

If he can get back to peak fitness and sharpness, Liverpool has already seen how good he can be during the 2022/23 season when he burst onto the scene. That, though, was a long time ago. If he is to return to Merseyside in the summer, the intervening period needs to go well. From there, it is possible there might be a place on the Liverpool roster available for him to pin down.

“With Micky and Romero to a certain extent, it’s about being conservative with them. Micky got through the 45 minutes but he feels he’s not ready yet for the step up to the Premier League yet. Obviously a big shame to lose Radu.”

“Don’t get me wrong we have some big games ahead but also afforded ourselves a couple of clear weeks. Hopefully we’re in final of Carabao Cup, hopefully we’re still in FA Cup and I don’t see sense of us risking us. Having Kevin in is a massive bonus and he hasn’t reinjured but he feels he needs to get more into him. Same with Romero.”

On Tuesday, Liverpool face surprise title challengers Nottingham Forest away from home. And on Wednesday, Tottenham make the short trip to the Emirates to face bitter rivals Arsenal. Unfortunately, we have almost exactly a month to wait for the two Carabao Cup semi-final second legs.

Despite their fairly dismal Premier League form, Tottenham find themselves in the EFL League Cup semi-final on Wednesday, Jan. 8, after stunning Manchester City and strafing Manchester United in the preceding two fixtures. They did so in style. But will Ange Postecoglou’s incautious attacking scheme

really test Liverpool, especially considering the decisive loss — with an eye-popping scoreline — they suffered to the Reds only a few weeks ago?