Liverpool won 6-3 when these sides met at North London just a few weeks ago
Matt Verri|Dom Smith11 minutes ago
Tottenham vs Liverpool - LIVE!
Tottenham look to keep their bid for a first trophy since 2008 alive as they host Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final tonight. Not since winning this competition 16 years ago have Spurs got their hands on some silverware, and the pressure is on Ange Postecoglou after he stated he always wins a trophy in his second season at a club.
It is now five matches without a win, though for Spurs, after they were beaten by Newcastle over the weekend to leave them 12th in the Premier League. Injuries have been a problem and the absentee list has been added to tonight, with Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison both suspended.
Liverpool, on the other hand, are flying on all fronts, and sit six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand. They were held to a draw by Manchester United last time out, but will be in confident mood heading to north London, having thrashed Spurs 6-3 here just a few weeks ago. Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s LIVE blog, featuring expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground!
Tottenham vs Liverpool latest news
Kinsky agents reveals 'intense' Levy talks
New Tottenham goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was signed after chairman Daniel Levy headed up a two-day negotiation with the player's former club Slavia Prague in the Czech capital.
Levy and Spurs technical director Johan Lange spent two days in Prague as they organised the final details of Kinsky’s move to Tottenham in a deal worth £12.5million plus add-ons.
Speaking to Flashscore, Viktor Kolar, Kinsky’s agent, said: “Our team was still sitting at a petrol station in Prague until almost 10pm of December 31, because everything was closed on New Year's Eve.
“The subsequent development was that on January 1, Daniel Levy flew in himself and the two-day negotiations in Prague began. He had Johan Lange with him.
“The negotiations were intense, stretching late into the night. But it worked, and I’m happy about that. It was a beautiful test to see if people and organizations this dominant can find their way to each other.”
Getty Images
Postecoglou makes bold Salah claim
Ange Postecoglou believes Heung-min Son will return to his best when Tottenham's injury crisis has eased and says Liverpool's Mohamed Salah would struggle to hit the same standards if he was playing for Spurs.
Son and Salah, both 32, shared the Premier League Golden Boot in 2021-22, finishing with 23 goals apiece, but so far this season Son has scored just five times in the top-flight, while Salah has 18 goals, as well as 13 assists.
Postecoglou, who is expected to be without nine first-team players against the Reds tonight, believes Son's form can be explained by the dysfunction of the depleted team around him.
"It's been unbelievable how [Sonny] has been able to maintain that level of consistent performance," Postecoglou said. "I know everyone is focusing on it now but even last year his season was incredible for us.
"People need to have a little bit of context. Mo is a world-class player but if you put him in our team now I'm not sure he'll have that same level of performance because of the situation we're in as a group.
“As an attacking player, what do you need? You need a team that's kind of in good form creating opportunities, playing on the front foot, having a really solid foundation of a defence that is cohesive.
"None of these things exist at the moment.”
Getty Images/Reuters
In the building!
The Spurs players have arrived ahead of a huge night in north London...
Standard Sport prediction
Liverpool put six past Spurs in their own backyard last month and it’s hard to see the gap between the two sides suddenly being closed.
Spurs’ injury woes have only worsened since, but have also proven they can breach the Reds’ backline. They will hope to still be in the tie come full-time tonight.
Liverpool to win, 3-1.
Liverpool team news
Liverpool will tonight have an almost fully fit squad to choose from.
Both Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley returned from injuries suffered during the Champions League win over Real Madrid in November for Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Manchester United at Anfield.
Having both available gives Arne Slot options, particularly at right-back. While Trent Alexander-Arnold is undoubtedly the first-choice there, his performance against United was heavily criticised amid transfer interest from Real Madrid.
Bradley is pushing to come in and replace Alexander-Arnold.
Dominik Szoboszlai missed Sunday's game due to illness and remains a slight doubt. Joe Gomez is the only injured player following the hamstring injury he suffered against West Ham in late December.
Darwin Nunez was booked against United and will miss Liverpool’s next Premier League match, but is available here.
Predicted Liverpool XI (4-2-3-1): Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Konate, Van Dijk, Tsimikas; Gravenberch, Mac Allister; Salah, Jones, Gakpo; Jota
Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Tottenham team news
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou tonight faces a decision over who to start in goal.
New signing Antonin Kinsky is available and set to compete with Brandon Austin for a starting spot.
Austin made his long-awaited Spurs debut in Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Newcastle but Kinsky, 21, has been signed to compete to be Spurs' No1 long-term and trained with his new team-mates on Monday and Tuesday.
Fraser Forster, 36, returned to training on Tuesday but has been struggling with illness.
Midfield pair Pape Matar Sarr and James Maddison are suspended on Wednesday night but Rodrigo Bentancur, who was banned at the weekend, is expected to come into the midfield, while Yves Bissouma could replace Lucas Bergvall at No6.
Spurs captain Heung-min Son, who did not start on Saturday, is likely to return to the front three, with Timo Werner set to make way.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-3-3): Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Tottenham Hotspur FC
How to watch Tottenham vs Liverpool
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Premier League and Sky Sports Ultra HDR. Coverage starts at 7pm GMT ahead of an 8pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Sky Go app.
LIVE coverage: Follow all the action right here with us, featuring expert analysis from Dom Smith at the ground.
Good evening!
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Tottenham vs Liverpool!
It’s the first leg of this Carabao Cup semi-final tie, one that Liverpool are big favourites to come through and book their place at Wembley.
Can Spurs end their recent poor form and deliver a statement result on home soil?
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 8pm GMT from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
AFP via Getty Images
MORE ABOUT