Tottenham head to Anfield tonight chasing a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and, perhaps more urgently, a pulse for their season. They go without Sandro Tonali, without Pedro Porro, and without any sign that the Richarlison stand-off is close to thawing.
It is a big night made bigger by context. Spurs have gone 15 years without a win at Anfield. They arrive on the back of two goalless draws, against Nottingham Forest and Everton, that drained belief rather than built it. A cup tie under the lights on Merseyside should feel like an opportunity. Instead, it comes wrapped in caveats.
Tonali and Porro ruled out
Roberto De Zerbi’s squad, already frayed by a disrupted pre-season, has taken another hit. Tonali, a central figure in Tottenham’s midfield rebuild, “felt a knock” after the Everton stalemate and will not feature. Porro, whose energy and delivery from right-back have become a key outlet, continues to struggle with the muscular problem that kept him out at the weekend.
Two starters, gone. Two more holes to plug in a team still searching for rhythm.
There is at least one positive. Destiny Udogie returns after being left out against Everton as a precaution, with De Zerbi confirming the full-back is available again. His drive from left-back will be vital if Spurs are to escape the press and turn this into a contest rather than a siege.
Richarlison frozen out
If injuries have complicated De Zerbi’s selection, the Richarlison saga has turned it political.
The Brazilian is eligible for the Carabao Cup, but remains firmly out in the cold. Left out of the Premier League squad after pushing to leave in the summer, he and the club tried to engineer an exit in the closing days of the window. No move arrived. Limbo did.
Nothing has changed since. De Zerbi made it clear in his pre-match press conference that Richarlison will not travel to Merseyside and that the stance applies across competitions. For a side short of goals and short of forwards with Richarlison’s experience, it is a hard line with clear footballing consequences.
Dejan Kulusevski, another long-term absentee, is also still unavailable, removing yet more creativity and incision from the attacking options.
De Zerbi juggling fitness and ambition
The Italian coach faces a familiar modern dilemma: rotate and risk the result, or lean on his core players and risk breaking them.
He admitted several key names are not yet at full tilt. Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus are all still playing catch-up with their fitness. Spurs are likely to shuffle the pack, but not too much, as De Zerbi tries to walk that thin line between freshness and continuity.
One potential subplot comes from the academy. Winger Luca Williams-Barnett is under consideration for minutes, with De Zerbi open to the idea of giving the youngster a slice of real action if the game allows. Not a full 90, he suggested, but a meaningful taste of senior football in one of the most hostile arenas in Europe.
Predicted XI and selection calls
Tottenham are expected to field a side that still carries plenty of first-team weight, even with the absences mounting.
Predicted Tottenham XI: Dubravka; Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher; Kudus, Solanke, Marmoush.
Injured: Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro, Mudryk. Unavailable: Richarlison.
That XI underlines the balancing act. A strong spine, but with players nursing their way towards full sharpness and others drafted in to cover gaps.
Kick-off is at 8pm BST at Anfield, with the tie live on Sky Sports and ITV4. For Spurs, it is more than just a route to the fourth round. With a barren run at this stadium, a faltering attack, and a squad patched together again, the question is blunt: do they finally punch back, or does Anfield extend its hold over them for another year?
