Spurs Face Injury Crisis Ahead of Carabao Cup Clash at Anfield
Tottenham head to Anfield tonight chasing not just a place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, but a spark. Instead, they travel lighter than planned and heavier than ever with problems.
Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro have both been ruled out of the tie, stripping Roberto De Zerbi of two key pillars in a squad already short of rhythm after a stuttering pre-season. Richarlison, meanwhile, stays exactly where he has been for weeks: nowhere near it.
Double blow before Anfield
Two goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton have left Spurs searching for answers, creativity and conviction. Now they must find all three at a ground where they have not won for 15 years.
Tonali, signed to dictate the tempo of nights like this, “felt a knock” in the draw with Everton and will play no part. Porro, whose energy and delivery from the right have become central to Spurs’ attacking shape, continues to battle the muscular issue that already kept him out at the weekend.
The timing could hardly be worse. De Zerbi’s side still look undercooked, the result of a disrupted summer, and the Italian must now improvise again in one of the most unforgiving arenas in English football.
There is at least one piece of good news. Destiny Udogie returns after being left out against Everton as a precaution, restoring some balance on the left and a vital outlet on the counter.
Richarlison frozen out
If the injury list is frustrating, the Richarlison situation is simply stark.
The Brazilian is fit. He is eligible for the Carabao Cup. But he will not travel to Merseyside.
Richarlison pushed hard to leave Spurs in the summer and made no secret of his desire for a fresh start. The club responded by omitting him from their Premier League squad. A late move failed to materialise, leaving the former Everton forward in limbo, technically available but practically exiled.
De Zerbi made it clear nothing has changed.
“Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” he said on Monday, drawing a firm line under any hope of a surprise recall.
Long-term absentee Dejan Kulusevski also remains out, removing another creative option from a squad that already looks stretched.
“No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available. Udogie yes,” De Zerbi added, laying bare the scale of the absences.
Rotation, kids and tight calls
Spurs are expected to rotate at Anfield, but De Zerbi cannot afford to treat this as a training exercise. The performance levels, not just the results, have raised questions, and another flat display would only deepen the unease.
The Italian hinted there could be minutes for academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett, a nod to the need for fresh legs and fresh ideas.
“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,” he said, underlining the balancing act between experimentation and competitiveness.
That balancing act runs through the entire squad. Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus are all short of full match fitness, yet all are central to the way De Zerbi wants Spurs to play. How hard he leans on them at Anfield will say plenty about how seriously he is taking this competition – and how much he trusts his depth.
Predicted XI
Against that backdrop, Spurs are tipped to line up with a side that blends rotation with recognizable core starters:
Dubravka; Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher; Kudus, Solanke, Marmoush.
It is a team with enough quality to trouble Liverpool, but also one that underlines how much Spurs are juggling right now. No Tonali. No Porro. No Kulusevski. No Richarlison.
The official injury list tells its own story: Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro, Mudryk all sidelined. Richarlison unavailable by choice, not by fitness.
Anfield under the lights, a cup tie with edge, a squad patched together and a manager searching for fluency. Spurs have not won here in a decade and a half.
If they manage it tonight, they will have done it the hard way.
