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Spurs make the trip to Anfield on Thursday night with one foot in the Carabao Cup final.
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Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a late boost ahead of taking on Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final on Thursday night with news that the Reds will be without key man Trent Alexander-Arnold for the clash.
Ange Postecoglou takes his Spurs side to Anfield tomorrow in what looks to be the biggest fixture of the season. The London outfit claimed a 1-0 victory at home last month and go into the second leg holding the advantage.
If the Aussie's team holds onto their lead, Tottenham Hotspur will book a place in the Carabao Cup final and the chance to take on either Arsenal or Newcastle United at Wembley Stadium. Spurs haven't won a trophy since 2008 and the chance for silverware would be a welcome triumph in a season that has been underwhelming in the Premier League.
Tottenham Hotspur have their own well-documented fitness concerns but Liverpool manager Slot has a problem to contend with too. The Reds have a fully healthy squad apart from Alexander-Arnold, who limped off during the 2-0 win over AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium last weekend.
Arne Slot confirms Liverpool blow
Speaking on Wednesday morning, Slot said: “He is going to miss the game tomorrow and we have to see if he is able to play on Sunday. But what we do know is that he is not available for tomorrow.
“I think you saw that he left the pitch with a bit of a pain in his leg, so that’s why he misses the game tomorrow. But he is already on the pitch, not with the team but with the rehab coach, so let’s see how long it is going to take. But he will not be available tomorrow.”
That's an undoubted boost for Tottenham Hotspur, even if Alexander-Arnold has enjoyed one of his less prolific seasons with two goals and seven assists so far - although two goals and two assists have come since the turn of the year.
Few players know Spurs as well as the England international, who has faced the North London side more than any other club in his playing career. Alexander-Arnold has played Tottenham Hotspur, a total of 18 times, and only lost two of those matches.
The defender has picked up a goal and four assists against Spurs since first facing the top flight rivals in 2017. Those two defeats have come in recent years, with Tottenham Hotspur beating Liverpool in the Premier League in 2023 and then earlier this year in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Alexander-Arnold hailed as ‘unbelievable’ for previous Spurs performance
Alexander-Arnold has caused Spurs plenty of problems in those matches. Having played a key role in orchestrating a comeback to draw 2-2 with the London side in 2022, Gary Neville said: "I don't think I've seen two full-backs play in the Premier League that are as good as these two as a pair [Alexander-Arnold and Robertson]. The way in which they combine on the pitch, the way they play the game, they're an absolute joy.
"Robertson with his consistency does everything well. Defends well, he's competitive - slightly too much at the end - but he scored a goal and set up a goal. Alexander-Arnold is an absolute phenomenon when it comes to the quality of his passing, his delivery. It's something I've never seen before from a full-back.
"It's like De Bruyne, it's Beckham, it's Gerrard, and they're attacking players. He's playing at right-back, it's the highest accolade I could pay him. The contribution these two make is unbelievable. It's bizarre to me. I grew up saying let the full-back have it. You can't let these two have it."
Explaining the tactics behind the 1-0 win over Liverpool last month, Postecoglou said: "When people said my midfield set up was a little bit more conservative today, that's because I only had three midfielders to choose from. The others weren't available, so we certainly went about it the same way.
"Look, Liverpool don't allow you to dominate the game the way other teams do, and our players every three days are playing a game of football, without rest, and you saw Liverpool at the end, they put on some significant talent, some really good footballers, some top footballers.
"I couldn't do the same, and yet the guys who are out there are consistently doing it, so maybe we're not as dominant as we want it to be, but there's good reason, not through the lack of trying or different intent in terms of how we went about it."
In other news, these are the late Deadline Day deals you might have missed in the Premier League on a hectic end to the transfer window.