Burkina Faso
Friendly Games
Indonesia
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia

Liverpoolvs.Spurs

sportsmole.co.uk, 4 February 2025, 16:36
Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur reconvene for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Anfield on Thursday night, with the visitors coming into the clash with a 1-0 lead on aggregate.

Both sides will be full of confidence after hugely important 2-0 wins on the road over the weekend, having implications at both ends of the Premier League table.

Match preview

Almost a month has passed since Lucas Bergvall fired home a late winner for Spurs in the first leg of this semi-final showdown, which was ultimately mired in controversy.

Just minutes before netting that all-important goal, Bergvall was fortunate not to receive a second yellow card for a late lunge on Kostas Tsimikas, but Liverpool and their manager Arne Slot would also have admitted that they were well below par all evening in North London.

Very few will look past Liverpool turning this tie on its head in the return leg this week though, and extend their record number of final appearances in this competition to 15.

Jurgen Klopp's final honour at Liverpool was the EFL Cup last season, notching Liverpool's 10th win in the competition, and the bookmakers still make them favourites to retain their crown, despite trailing from the first leg, and Newcastle United having one foot in the final from the other semi.

A win of two goals is required here, and since losing to Nottingham Forest back in September, Liverpool are unbeaten in 15 at home, scoring at least twice on each occasion, and winning 13.

It was on the road where the Reds sealed a crucial victory in their hunt for a second league title in 35 years though, winning 2-0 at in-form Bournemouth, who caused Slot's side numerous problems throughout the afternoon.

A double from the ever-reliable Mohamed Salah secured the victory though, and kept Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League, just a few days after they finished on top of the inaugural league phase in the Champions League.

The next three fixtures for Liverpool will be vital in keeping their hopes alive of completing an unprecedented quadruple, with a trip to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup coming up at the weekend after this one, before they go to Goodison Park for the rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton.

For Tottenham, they may not get a better chance to end their long wait for a trophy than this one for quite some time.

Leading heading into the second leg, with the potential of facing Newcastle in the final, as opposed to the formidable Manchester City they lost to in the 2021 final, means manager Ange Postecoglou could well stick to his promise of winning a trophy by his second season at the club.

However, the last two times Spurs have played a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final, both were against Chelsea, and ended in defeat, including in 2019 when they led 1-0 heading into the second leg away from home.

Anfield has brought Spurs very little joy in recent years either, with no win at this venue since 2011, and just three draws in 14 since then, but that would be enough to see them through to a fourth final since they won the competition in 2008.

It has been a very good week for Postecoglou though, beating Brentford 2-0 in the league to move up from 16th to 14th, just a few days after sealing their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a routine win over Elfsborg, with three youngsters getting on the scoresheet.

Another shutout at the weekend now means Spurs have kept four clean sheets in eight games, despite all of the criticism around Postecoglou's tactics and the injury crisis they are facing.

Two of those did come against Elfsborg and Tamworth, and while they looked hopeless defensively against Everton and Leicester City recently, keeping two of English football's strongest attacks out in the form of Liverpool and Brentford cannot be discredited.

Liverpool EFL Cup form:

W

W

W

L

Liverpool form (all competitions):

D

W

W

W

L

W

Tottenham Hotspur EFL Cup form:

W

W

W

W

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

L

L

W

L

W

W

Team News

After being forced off with a thigh injury at Bournemouth on Saturday, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold is more than likely going to miss this one, but initial fears were alleviated following a scan which revealed the issue is not as bad as first thought.

Recent returns for both Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones mean Joe Gomez is the only other injury absentee for the hosts at present, with Liverpool set to be close to full-strength here.

The other places up for grabs are at left back where Andy Robertson and Tsimikas will compete for a start, and in midfield between Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai to partner Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

While players continue to return and make huge strides in recoveries, Spurs have been hit with another huge blow after Radu Dragusin was ruled out for the season with the knee injury he sustained against Elfsborg last week.

Micky van de Ven returned in that Europa League outing, and was held back at the weekend in preparation for this one, so the Dutch defender should be ready to go alongside Ben Davies in defence.

Postecoglou has revealed he is confident Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner will all return in the next week or so, but for Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke, their comebacks are a little further down the line.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son

We say: Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur

The first leg was the first time either of these sides has been involved in an EFL Cup game with fewer than three goals this season, and given Postecoglou's stubbornness to change and Liverpool's desperate need to score, another goal-fest could be in store, just not in Spurs' favour.

Written by

Andrew Delaney

Previews by email
Show more

Top News

8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea have reportedly gained momentum in their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund goalkeeper Gregor Kobel. 8 May 2025 talksport.com A unique history-making European run, three different managers and a dodgy pitch - Djurgarden have had one hell of a journey. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Nottingham Forest have reportedly joined the race for Ipswich Town attacker Liam Delap. 8 May 2025 talksport.com Three Premier League clubs can book their places in European finals tonight and talkSPORT.com has all the latest. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Two teams fighting for Serie A survival meet on Saturday evening, as 19th-placed Empoli welcome draw specialists Parma to Stadio Castellani. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly interested in Atletico Madrid attacker Julian Alvarez ahead of the summer transfer window. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk A very common fixture in the Premier League during the 21st century, Fulham and Everton will lock horns once again at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Dundee United, aiming to snap their losing streak, will host St Mirren at Tannadice Park on Saturday afternoon in the Scottish Premiership. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton manager David Moyes has a selection to make in attack ahead of their trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in the Premier League on Saturday. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Fulham will hope to have Andreas Pereira back from a brief injury for the visit of Everton to Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Saturday. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Faltering Fulham welcome Everton to Craven Cottage in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon in an important encounter for the home side's hopes of finishing in the top eight. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Serie A leaders Napoli are reportedly plotting an ambitious move to sign Manchester City attacker Jack Grealish this summer. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Meeting for a crucial clash in Italy's Champions League race, Lazio will welcome top-four rivals Juventus to Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. 8 May 2025 talksport.com The EFL play-offs have been forced into a major reshuffle due to a fixture clash with a Premier League game. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Celtic, already crowned Scottish Premiership champions, will welcome European-battling Hibernian to Celtic Park on Saturday afternoon. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Pep Guardiola will be "tempted" to hand Erling Haaland a start in Manchester City's Premier League clash away against already-relegated Southampton on Saturday, Citizens expert Steven McInerney from Esteemed Kompany has told Sports Mole. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma is reportedly attracting interest from at least two European giants. 8 May 2025 talksport.com Liverpool have been handed a major boost in their search for a new right-back to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa have reportedly decided whether they will entertain any offers for Emiliano Martinez this summer. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Interested suitors in highly sought-after striker Benjamin Sesko have received a boost in their pursuit of the RB Leipzig star, according to a report. 8 May 2025 talksport.com The 2024/25 Europa Conference League final is approaching and Chelsea will be eyeing glory in the showpiece match. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa are reportedly considering whether to make an approach for a teenage forward from Le Havre. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Florian Wirtz has admitted that he is "definitely keen to leave my comfort zone" ahead of the summer transfer window amid reported interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Atletico Madrid will be aiming to return to winning ways in Spain's top flight when they host Real Sociedad on Saturday evening. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Separated by just one place but seven points in the Premier League rankings, continental hopefuls Bournemouth and Aston Villa have plenty to play for in Saturday evening's showdown at the Vitality Stadium. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Mallorca will be aiming to get their European challenge back on track when they continue their La Liga campaign with a home fixture against already-relegated Real Valladolid on Saturday evening. 8 May 2025 talksport.com Tottenham have reason to be wary of their Europa League semi-final second leg against Bodo/Glimt, despite their two-goal advantage. 8 May 2025 talksport.com Ange Postecoglou has changed his approach to avoid more European heartbreak to Bodo/Glimt, after insisting history won't repeat itself. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Bournemouth wing wizard Antoine Semenyo should make a swift return to the starting XI when the Cherries host Aston Villa in Saturday evening's Premier League showdown at the Vitality Stadium. 8 May 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Villarreal's fight to secure a top-five position in the La Liga table and Champions League qualification for the 2025-26 campaign will continue on Saturday evening when they make the trip to Girona.