Rousing The Kop

Injuries look set to play a big impact on Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham in the Carabao Cup on Thursday night.

The two Premier League clubs will go head-to-head for a place at Wembley, with Spurs leading the tie 1-0 from the first leg after Lucas Bergvall netted the only goal of the game.

Liverpool are expected to turn the tie around, given their current run of form and the fact that the match takes place in front of an Anfield crowd.

Liverpool will be without Trent Alexander-Arnold for the game after the right-back left the pitch early with an issue against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Tottenham have been very inconsistent this season and that has been a result of some major injuries at the North London club so Ange Postecoglou knows how Slot is feeling right now.

Micky van de Ven returned to action last week in the Europa League after being out for months with a hamstring injury and the defender is a player Slot wants to know if he will be fit to face his team on Thursday night.

Arne Slot admits Micky van de Ven will be impactful

Van de Ven turned down a move to Liverpool to join Tottenham and has been a key player for Spurs ever since.

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The Dutch talent arrived in North London last summer with the centre-back allowing Postecoglou to play a very high line due to his recovery speed.

However, the 23-year-old seems to be injury-prone and has missed a lot of action over the last two campaigns.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Slot wondered if Van de Ven would be fit for Thursday night’s match as the Liverpool boss admitted that the defender would have a big impact.

“I wonder if Micky van de Ven is ready to play – he, of course, has a big impact on that team,” Slot said. “It might change the quality we face tomorrow compared to the last time but we were already not able to win from the team that played last time. So, it’s going to be a difficult one, which we know.”

Despite not featuring in Tottenham’s win over Brentford at the weekend, Spurs fans were hopeful that Van de Ven would be fit for their trip to Anfield.

Both Slot and Tottenham supporters have got their answers, as Ange Postecoglou has informed the press about the 23-year-old’s availability.

Van de Ven has been a huge miss for Tottenham this season having featured in only 12 games for the North London club before picking up his injury.

Postecoglou has informed the media that Van de Ven will not play against Liverpool on Thursday as the Australian coach takes a cautious approach to his return to full fitness.

‘It’s a bit of everything. He got through the game with no problem but had a look at the stats, Premier League is a whole different beast and after losing Radu, I thought about what we had ahead of us,” the Tottenham boss said via football.london.

‘Don’t get me wrong we have some big games ahead but also afforded ourselves a couple of clear weeks. Hopefully, we’re in the final of the Carabao Cup, hopefully, we’re still in FA Cup and I don’t see the sense of us risking.’

This will be a big boost for Slot as it will allow Liverpool to expose Spurs’ high line with greater effect as the Dutch coach will look to use his front three to create a lot of problems for Postecoglou.

The contest is poised to be a great one under the Anfield lights as both Premier League clubs need to win it for different reasons.

Tottenham have received a big boost ahead of the EFL Cup clash with Liverpool.

The Reds host Ange Postecoglou’s men at Anfield on Thursday night in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash with the Merseyside club trailing 1-0 from the first leg.

A Lucas Bergvall goal has left Arne Slot’s men with work to do, and despite Liverpool being without Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Premier League leaders will be viewed as the favourites to advance, given their recent run of form and the unpredictability of Spurs this season.

The January transfer window was a quiet one for the Reds with it being confirmed that Liverpool are the lowest spenders throughout the 2024/25 campaign.

While the Merseyside club had no work to do, the same cannot be said for Tottenham, who needed to address several issues.

The end of the January transfer window was busy for the North London club and ahead of the Liverpool clash on Thursday, Tottenham have received a big boost to their hopes of making it to Wembley.

Tottenham register new signings in time for Liverpool clash

Tottenham have been dealing with massive injury issues this season and with the goalkeeper position being a problem for Postecoglou, Spurs signed Antonin Kinsky from Slavia Prague very early in the January transfer window.

Their work was not finished there though, as Tottenham brought in both Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel on loan as the deadline drew closer.

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Danso arrived from RC Lens, with Spurs obligated to make it a permanent deal in the summer, which is worth £21m, reports the BBC. Unlike the centre-back, Tottenham have the option to sign Tel permanently, with a clause worth £50m included in the forward’s contract, reports the BBC.

The duo are expected to make an impact in North London and according to the Liverpool Echo, Tottenham have registered the two players in time for their Carabao Cup match with Liverpool.

The cup competition is a big deal for Postecoglou, and this will make his job of reaching Wembley easier as the Australian has already benefited from playing a new star against Liverpool.

Will history repeat itself between Liverpool and Tottenham?

Having arrived from Slavia Prague at the start of January, Kinksy’s debut for Tottenham was against Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.

The 21-year-old was outstanding against the Reds, pulling off several saves to earn himself a clean sheet and a man-of-the-match performance, which allowed his team to take an advantage to Anfield this week.

History could repeat itself for Danso and Tel as the duo are players Slot is unlikely to have prepared for. That is a weapon Postecoglou needs to utilise if they are to get a result on Merseyside and the French forward in particular, could be of use.

Tottenham’s new signings are outliers in Thursday night’s match and Postecoglou will be hoping that they can make an instant impact on a very big stage.

Liverpool have gained a lot of plaudits for the way they have conducted business in the transfer market.

The Reds usually take a measured approach when it comes to incomings and have largely refrained from splashing the cash on big signings, unless it’s for certified game-changers like Virgil van Dijk and Alisson Becker.

The summer transfer window, however, proved to be a bit of a strange one for Liverpool as Arne Slot signed only Federico Chiesa in August and shut up shop.

Their squad didn’t need major surgery as the Dutchman inherited a fantastic bunch of players from Jurgen Klopp, but the previous transfer window still feels like a missed opportunity despite how the season has panned out so far.

And the Reds well and truly missed the trick with Archie Gray, who has earned rave reviews for his performances since signing for Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool missed out on Archie Gray in the summer

After Martin Zubimendi rejected a move to Liverpool, the Reds opted against pursuing alternatives, instead opting to use Ryan Gravenberch as a number six.

And it’s safe to say Slot’s decision to do so has already paid dividends, with the Dutch international playing the best football of his professional career and also forcing his way into Ronald Koeman’s squad for the national team.

However, it goes without saying that they could have done with a player like Gray in the squad, who was in the market in the summer after bursting onto the scene at Leeds United.

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Gray was heavily linked with a move to Liverpool – with the Reds scouting him for ages and holding a fantastic relationship with his family – but a move never came to fruition as he eventually signed for Tottenham.

The 18-year-old is capable of playing in central midfield and at right-back and has shown in his brief period in North London that his maturity belies his age.

Additionally, in recent weeks, Gray has been deployed as a central defender due to an ongoing injury crisis at Tottenham.

Much to everyone’s surprise, the young Englishman has held his own at the heart of the backline, producing a memorable display in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semifinal against Liverpool.

The Reds have made in-game changes and have had to use Gravenberch as a centre-back in a few games this season, while the Dutchman, as good as he’s been, has played way too many minutes for his own good.

If Liverpool had a player like Gray in the squad, he could have been a great rotation option at the very least and would’ve had the chance to play quite a few minutes this season as the Reds are competing on all fronts.

All in all, Liverpool’s failure to sign Gray very much seems like a glorious opportunity they let slip in the summer.

Gray’s stats this season

Gray has been described as a phenomenal player by Jermaine Beckford and is one of the most exciting talents in the Premier League currently.

He has played 25 games across all competitions this season, with 12 of those coming as a central defender and six as a right-back.

At the risk of going overboard, his versatility could be compared to that of James Milner and we’ve seen over the years that players such as Gray have always had a place in great squads.

The Championship has produced some fantastic talents over the years and Gray certainly seems like the next one from their production line.

Liverpool missed out on him, but it would be worth keeping an eye on the Championship in the upcoming transfer window to see if they can nab a player or two.

It has been a mixed season at Liverpool for Conor Bradley under Arne Slot.

The young defender has impressed whenever he has featured under the Dutchman, but he sustained an injury against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League that kept him on the sidelines for over a month.

Bradley has relished the competition with Trent Alexander-Arnold and has proved during his stint with the first team that he more than belongs here.

His injury was obviously a tough one to take, but he’s now back and looks set to key role in the second half of the season.

And the Northern Irishman has hailed two unseen Liverpool coaches for their help during his rehabilitation.

Conor Bradley hails two Liverpool coaches for help with injury rehab

With Alexander-Arnold injured, Bradley featured against Real Madrid in November and was one of the best players on the pitch as he comfortably got the better of Kylian Mbappe on the night.

Frank Leboeuf was in awe of Bradley’s performance against Real Madrid, admitting that he stood up and applauded when the young defender crunched into Mbappe to win the ball back with a perfectly timed slide tackle.

However, in the dying embers of the game, he went down clutching his hamstring and was ruled out for over a month as he missed the festive period.

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Bradley is now back and started the Carabao Cup game against Tottenham Hotspur as the Reds lost the first leg 1-0.

Ahead of the game against Accrington Stanley later today, the Northern Irishman hailed physios Joe Lewis and Dave Rydings for their role behind the scenes with his recovery.

He said via LFC: “Obviously working with the physios, Joe Lewis and Dave [Rydings], helped me massively in getting back fit as quick as possible.

“It’s difficult, especially at the start because you’re asking, ‘Why has this happened to me again?’

“But you’ve just got to keep working hard every day and make sure that you’re ready whenever you come back.”

Bradley expected to feature regularly from now

Bradley has returned to full fitness and gave a good account of himself against Tottenham despite the result.

Liverpool are blessed to have two great options at right-back and the young defender is expected to give Alexander-Arnold a run for his money during the business end of the season.

Bradley is in line for another start vs Accrington Stanley as Arne Slot prepares to ring in the changes for an FA Cup third-round tie against the League Two side.

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Liverpool are coming to terms with their first loss for almost four months after defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday.

The Reds have done incredibly well to avoid any losses over that period, and looked all set to add another draw to the pile in North London.

But after Lucas Bergvall was controversially allowed to stay on the pitch following a blatant second yellow card offence, the youngster then put Spurs ahead late in the game.

Arne Slot was not happy post-match, with the Bergvall incident unfortunately taking centre-stage.

The truth of the matter, however, was that Liverpool simply weren’t good enough to get a result across the 90 minutes.

There was plenty of rustiness within the Liverpool XI, with a few too many players not quite bringing their A game. One of those was Conor Bradley, who gave an honest assessment of his own display after the final whistle.

Conor Bradley admits to Tottenham rustiness

It was not such a surprise to see Slot throw Bradley in for his first start since the end of November.

Trent Alexander-Arnold was awful against Man United on Sunday and it was clear that a change may be needed for Spurs.

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However, the 21-year-old struggled to get into the game and was eventually taken off on the hour mark. And speaking to LFCTV after the match, Bradley admitted that he wasn’t altogether happy with his outing.

“I felt it was a good performance,” he said of the team.

“First-half I think we were sort of shaky at times, some new players came in, I’ve obviously been out for six weeks so I gave away the ball a bit too much. But, no, I thought it was a good performance, just disappointed with the result and the [Bergvall] decision.

“I think there always is [a bit of rust to shake off] when you’ve been out for a couple of weeks,” Bradley added. But I felt I was just growing and growing into the game but just managing my minutes coming off on 60 and ready to go Saturday.”

Bradley set for Accrington start

As Bradley alludes to at the end of his comments, the right-back looks set to build on his match fitness with another outing on Saturday.

Slot is set to rotate heavily for Accrington’s visit to Anfield in the FA Cup.

With Bradley clearly needing minutes to get back to the level he was before injury, that looks like another good chance to get game time in his legs.

The Northern Irishman was flying before his cruel injury against Real Madrid at the back end of November.

Liverpool return to League Cup action this week with the first of two semi-final legs against Premier League rivals Tottenham.

The two sides head into Wednesday’s tie in contrasting form, with Liverpool flying high at the top of the Premier League standings whilst Tottenham sit in the bottom half of the table in 12th place, a whole 22 points off the Reds.

With Arne Slot confirming that Dominik Szoboszlai will miss the game for Liverpool, there’s a good chance that the Anfield side will rotate their starting XI even with an FA Cup clash against League Two side Accrington Stanley coming up on Saturday.

Yet Liverpool’s injury problems don’t hold a candle to what Tottenham are going through, with Ange Postecoglou confirming the latest fitness updates for the north London side.

Tottenham have just one fit central defender to face Liverpool

Speaking to the press ahead of Wednesday’s clash, the Australian manager confirmed that Tottenham will have just one fully fit and available centre-back in Radu Dragusin, with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies all out injured.

Postecoglou said when asked about Tottenham’s injuries: “Everyone else from the weekend feels better. Radu’s recovered, Archie’s better. They were the main ones. Deki [Dejan Kulusevski] was a little bit under the weather but he’s good.”

Injuries have been the main cause behind Tottenham’s horrific run of form of late, with Liverpool beating the north London side 6-3 last month in one of the most entertaining Premier League matches of the season so far.

And if Postecoglou refuses to adapt to Liverpool’s tactics on Wednesday, the Reds could enjoy yet another high-scoring win against Tottenham, who were torn apart by the Anfield side during their encounter in December.

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Tottenham could secure League Cup final spot in the first-leg

With Liverpool returning to the English capital having secured two huge results in London against Tottenham and West Ham over the festive period, the Reds will have every right to feel confident about their chances of begging another big win in N5.

And such a win could all-but confirm Tottenham’s place in the League Cup final, a competition Slot will be determined to win as his first piece of silverware as Liverpool manager.

Indeed, Liverpool will be huge favourites to progress against Tottenham, and the north London side could be fearing the worst when the two teams meet once again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final.

Liverpool will be top of the table on Christmas Day and have certainly looked the part under Arne Slot.

Their 6-3 win against Tottenham Hotspur took them four points clear of second-placed Chelsea despite having a game in hand, putting them in a fantastic position in the Premier League title race.

With games against Leicester City at Anfield and West Ham United at the London Stadium on the horizon, the Reds will look to finish 2025 with a flourish.

And their upcoming Premier League clash against the Foxes is the perfect opportunity for Harvey Elliott to get his first start in the competition under Slot.

Harvey Elliott should start for Liverpool vs Leicester City

Liverpool play three Premier League games in a week and will need every last member of their squad to negotiate the festive period unscathed.

Elliott featured in the 2-1 Carabao Cup win against Southampton and put on a fantastic showing as he got his name on the scoresheet in the first half.

The game against Tottenham could’ve come too soon for him after his showing against the Saints, but with Liverpool set to face Leicester at Anfield in two days, Elliott has the perfect chance to shine from the front vs the Foxes.

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His ability to play in between the lines as an advanced midfielder could help the Reds carve open Leicester, who are still finding their feet under new manager Ruud van Nistelrooy.

Slot has options in the centre of the park and could well turn to Curtis Jones if he wants to rotate Dominik Szoboszlai or Alexis Mac Allister, but Elliott is another option who is edging closer to his first Premier League start of the season.

Elliott’s stats this season

Jobi McAnuff described Elliott as a ‘quality’ player after his performance against Southampton as he continues to work his way up to full fitness.

The 2024-25 season hasn’t been kind due to him in terms of injuries, but he’s now back in the team and will look to play a big role in the second half of the season.

Liverpool were clear winners against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as they delivered a crushing 6-3 win over Ange Postecoglou’s side.

The Reds headed into the game knowing that they would be top of the Premier League at Christmas and proceeded to play like it.

There were some hairy moments against Spurs – as there always are – but Liverpool came out the other end with an impressive win.

One player who has tended to give the Reds something to think about during these match-ups is Son Heung-min.

However, with Son rendered ineffective by the brilliant Joe Gomez and his Liverpool colleagues, the South Korean could not lay a glove on the Reds this time.

And speaking after the game, the Tottenham captain was full of praise for his opponents.

Son Heung-min praises Liverpool

Liverpool’s rivals would have been watching on with real hope that Tottenham could dent their title ambitions on Sunday.

Spurs have beaten both Man United and Man City recently and are a real test for any team in the Premier League.

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But Liverpool started brilliantly and went on to punish Tottenham with six excellent goals.

Son could not get into the game and was eventually taken off with eight minutes to go on the night. Asked by Sky Sports how good Liverpool were, the 32-year-old was left in no doubt.

“There’s no question, they are top of the league,” Son replied.

“You can see quality players and top discipline and I mean, there’s a reason they are top of the league. Any mistake they punish you. Yeah, very, very good side.”

Liverpool top of the Premier League at Christmas

This had indeed looked like a difficult match for Liverpool just before Christmas arrives.

With Chelsea in action earlier on in the day, there was a real chance that the Reds would end up below the Blues before the big day.

However, Liverpool showed exactly why they were still clear at the top with two games in hand with a dominant showing.

As Son says, Liverpool were excellent on the day, with a number of players really stepping up.

And with the end of the year now speeding into view, Arne Slot must be starting to believe that his team are not going anywhere anytime soon.

Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as they look for a return to winning ways in the Premier League.

The Reds have drawn their last two league matches, resulting in them being reeled in to within two points of Chelsea in second-place.

It will not be an easy game away to Spurs, with Ange Postecoglou’s side having scored nine goals over the past two games.

Liverpool lost on their last visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. However, the Reds generally have a good record against Spurs. One loss in 15 matches and two in 25 is remarkable, really.

After what happened with the infamous Luis Diaz VAR incident in North London last season, the Liverpool squad will be out for revenge.

And according to former Spurs striker Darren Bent, they really should get it on Sunday.

Darren Bent backs Liverpool win over Tottenham

Tottenham against Liverpool tends to be one of the Premier League’s most exciting match-ups.

Games between this pair tend to have goals galore, with the last two games at Anfield finishing 4-3 and 4-2 to Liverpool.

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At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium the Reds also have a good record. Since visiting for the first time in 2019/20, the Reds have won three, drawn one and lost one of five meetings.

They will be hoping to extend that winning record at the weekend and speaking to TalkSPORT, Bent explained why he thinks Arne Slot’s team will ‘carve through Tottenham’.

“I just think Liverpool have got so much more control with what they are doing under Arne Slot and their attacking quality on the pitch,” said the former striker.

“I just think Liverpool will have too much for them, because they’ll make sure they’re in good shape, good situation and then the attacking players they’ve got, with the gaps that Spurs leave, they will absolutely carve through Tottenham.”

Tottenham team news vs Liverpool

While Slot confirmed that Liverpool will be missing only two players for the trip to face Spurs, Postecoglou is set to be without a few more.

As per tottenhamhotspur.com, the Australian is certain to be without eight first-team players.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is injured, as are Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Mikey Moore, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison.

Meanwhile Rodrigo Bentancur is still suspended and will also miss the game.

During Friday’s press conference Postecoglou revealed that forward Timo Werner could also be ruled out having come down with an illness.

Liverpool travel to Tottenham on Sunday in what is shaping up to be a must-win game for the Reds in the Premier League.

Arne Slot’s side dropped more points on the weekend as Liverpool fought back from behind twice with a man down against Fulham to secure a 2-2 draw, with Chelsea now just two points off the Anfield side in the Premier League standings.

With Diogo Jota again injured for Liverpool, the Merseyside giants will be without some big players for their trip down to the English capital, where Tottenham will be looking for another big win after their 5-0 triumph against Southampton.

And the FA have made a decision on if Rodrigo Bentancur’s ban will be overturned for Tottenham.

Rodrigo Bentancur to miss Liverpool game as Tottenham’s appeal is rejected

As per an official statement from the FA, Tottenham’s appeal to overturn Rodrigo Bentancur’s seven-game ban that was implemented last month has been rejected, with the Uruguay international now set to miss this Sunday’s tie against Liverpool.

The former Juventus star was given the ban in November for using a racial slur about team-mate Heung-min Son on television, with Bentancur since missing Tottenham’s last five domestic-based matches.

Noted by Ange Postecoglou as an ‘outstanding’ person via TNT Sports despite the ban, Bentancur’s absence for Sunday will come across as a boost for Liverpool, with the midfielder a regular for Tottenham in recent seasons.

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And heading back to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after what happened last year, Liverpool will be looking for revenge and all three points, with the odds certainly in Slot’s favour heading to north London this weekend.

Slot knows he can’t afford another Premier League slip-up

Having drawn the last two games in the Premier League, dropping more points is the last thing Slot will want with Chelsea in winning form and Arsenal having a favourable tie on Saturday away to Crystal Palace.

And heading to Tottenham, Slot will want to ensure his Liverpool squad get the job done in the most comfortable way possible, with Spurs there for the taking with one of their key players in Bentancur now out for the match.

Indeed, Liverpool have the quality to get all three points against Tottenham with ease, and the Reds know that a win in north London will be huge going into the final festive fixtures leading into 2025.