Liverpool switch their attention to the defence of the Carabao Cup tonight when they head to Tottenham Hotspur for a semi-final first-leg showdown
Liverpool will put their pursuit of a second Premier League title on the backburner this evening when they switch attention to their defence of the Carabao Cup. Standing in the way of the Reds' third final in four years is top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Liverpool, who beat Chelsea in the 2024 and the 2022 Wembley showpieces, will be hot favourites. The Reds ran out 6-3 winners when the teams met in the league last month and, while their 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United on Sunday was viewed as a slight disappointment in some quarters, their form in contrast to Tottenham is stark.
While Spurs will go into tonight's semi-final first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the back of a four-game winless run, and five defeats in their last nine outings, Arne Slot's men have lost just once in 28 matches in all competitions so far this season.
And even though the Premier League and the Champions League will take bigger priority at Anfield, the Carabao Cup has always provided an opportunity of early silverware for Liverpool, who have lifted the trophy a record 10 times.
The good news for Reds boss Slot is that he has almost a fully fit squad to choose from. The only player certain to be missing this evening is versatile defender Joe Gomez, who according to his manager will remain sidelined for a 'few weeks' after picking up an injury in the 5-0 win at West Ham United on December 29.
Gomez's absence has been tempered by the return of Ibrahima Konate, who was back in the starting line-up for the big clash with bitter-rivals Man United.
But given it was the France international centre-back's first appearance in nearly seven weeks, Slot admitted afterwards he is unlikely to feature against Tottenham. The Liverpool head coach said: "If you’ve been out for such a long time, it is difficult to immediately play two games a week. So it will not come as a surprise if he does not play on Wednesday.
"He played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes he was ready to play."
If Konate is absent from the XI Slot names, Jarell Quansah is expected to start alongside Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the Dutchman's defence. They are the Reds' only two fit and available senior centre-backs.
There are more options in midfield for Slot. However, he admitted in his press conference on Tuesday that Dominik Szoboszlai is a doubt.