Tottenham XI vs Liverpool: Injury Concerns Ahead of Carabao Cup Clash

Tottenham head to Anfield tonight stripped of two key starters and with one high-profile forward still frozen out, as Roberto De Zerbi shuffles his pack for a daunting Carabao Cup tie against Liverpool.

Spurs have not won at this ground for 15 years. They arrive short of form, short of fitness and now short of Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro.

Tonali and Porro ruled out

De Zerbi confirmed Tonali misses out after picking up a minor knock in the goalless draw with Everton, a result that followed another 0-0 against Nottingham Forest. Those back-to-back stalemates have cranked up the pressure on a side already searching for rhythm after a disrupted pre-season.

Porro, meanwhile, remains sidelined with the muscular problem that kept him out at the weekend. The right-back’s absence strips Spurs of one of their main outlets in wide areas at a stadium where they can rarely afford to waste attacking weapons.

The injury list is growing. Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert, Dejan Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro and Mykhailo Mudryk are all out, leaving De Zerbi to lean heavily on rotation and versatility.

There is at least one boost. Destiny Udogie, left out against Everton as a precaution, returns and goes straight back into the starting XI.

Richarlison still in the cold

If the injuries are frustrating, the Richarlison saga is downright awkward.

The Brazilian is fit. He is eligible for the Carabao Cup. He is staying at home.

Richarlison pushed hard to leave Spurs in the summer and was omitted from the club’s Premier League squad when a move failed to materialise. Talks over a late-window exit came to nothing, leaving the former Everton forward in limbo and De Zerbi with a selection call that is now becoming a statement.

Asked on Monday if the situation could change for the cup, the Spurs head coach was blunt.

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.

So it is Anfield without a recognised senior No9 from within the Premier League group, and without the Brazilian who once thrived on this stage in blue.

Youth, rotation and a gamble at Anfield

De Zerbi has rotated for the trip to Merseyside, but this is no throwaway XI. It is a side stitched together from what remains fit, with a few bold calls and one or two calculated risks.

Martin Dubravka comes in between the posts. Tosin Adarabioyo makes his first start at centre-back, a significant test in one of the most unforgiving arenas in English football. He lines up alongside Marcos Senesi, with Udogie at left-back and Gray on the right.

The midfield has a different look. Rodrigo Bentancur anchors, with Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher either side of him. Bergvall’s inclusion offers a glimpse of the future; Gallagher’s energy will be crucial if Spurs are to disrupt Liverpool’s rhythm.

In attack, De Zerbi leans on movement and pace rather than a traditional focal point. Mohammed Kudus supports from the right, Mathys Tel drifts in from the left, and Omar Marmoush leads the line, tasked with stretching Liverpool’s defence and making chaos count.

On the bench, there is experience and youth in reserve: Kinsky, Robertson, Van Hecke, James Maddison, Savio, Fernandes, Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies.

De Zerbi has already hinted that academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett could be involved at some stage of this Carabao Cup campaign, underlining how stretched the squad has become.

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.

Tottenham starting XI vs Liverpool

Dubravka; Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher; Kudus, Tel, Marmoush.

Subs: Kinsky, Robertson, Van Hecke, Maddison, Savio, Fernandes, Solanke, Van de Ven, Davies.

Injured: Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro, Mudryk.

Unavailable: Richarlison.

Kick-off is at 8pm BST tonight at Anfield, live on Sky Sports and ITV4.

For a bruised Spurs side, wrestling with injuries and internal stand-offs, this is more than a third-round tie. It is a test of resilience in one of the hardest places to find it.