Tottenham Hotspur Stadium forms the backdrop for Wednesday night’s EFL Cup showdown as Tottenham Hotspur welcome Liverpool to North London for the first leg of their semi-final clash.
Arne Slot will love nothing more than to start his Liverpool career the same way his predecessor ended his – by hoisting the EFL Cup title.
The Reds have been on a relentless surge towards a potential quadruple this season and will be looking to continue their dominant form at the expense of an inconsistent Spurs side.
Meanwhile, Ange Postecoglou is keen to maintain his record of winning silverware in his second season, and his side have already impressed in this competition.
The game is poised to be an entertaining affair and will undoubtedly attract a large crowd, so it wouldn’t be surprising if tickets are sold at a premium.
If you’re looking to secure a spot in the stands at a reasonable price, you can purchase Spurs tickets from Seatsnet.com – the most reliable secondary marketplace.
Match Preview
Tottenham are at a crucial moment in their season. After Wednesday’s crucial contest against Liverpool, they’ll face Tamworth in the FA Cup this weekend, followed by a high-stakes North London derby.
Postecoglou’s vision for the club is under scrutiny, especially after Spurs’ recent defensive struggles culminated in a crushing 6-3 home defeat to Liverpool just before Christmas.
The loss was a stark reminder of the challenges Postecoglou faces. Injuries and illness have ravaged the squad, leaving Spurs exposed at the back.
A 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United at the weekend extended their winless run to four games, leaving them in 12th place, ten points adrift of the top six.
Alarmingly, they have only managed one clean sheet in 11 matches, with defensive frailties undoing any attacking progress.
The weekend defeat against Newcastle highlighted the crisis to perfection, as Spurs played the entire second half without a single fit central defender.
While league ambitions appear to be slipping away, the FA Cup presents an opportunity to salvage their season.
A win over non-league Tamworth will put them in sound footing for the EFL Cup semi-final second leg, but Postecoglou will also use the match to rebuild confidence and momentum ahead of the derby against Arsenal.
However, the ultimate focus may need to shift to cup competitions as Spurs look to end a 17-year trophy drought.
Their last piece of silverware came in 2008 under Juande Ramos, and despite three final appearances since, success has eluded them.
Progress in the EFL Cup this season offers a glimmer of hope.
Having eliminated both Manchester clubs, including a thrilling 4-3 victory over Manchester United, Spurs find themselves in the semi-finals for the first time in years.
A run to the semi-finals this season is already a huge improvement on their showings across the last two campaigns, where they went out in rounds two and three, and they have done so with arguably the toughest run of any club.
However, they face yet another imposing challenge against Liverpool, the reigning Premier League leaders and EFL Cup holders.
Liverpool’s dominance in recent years has made this competition their stronghold, leaving Spurs as clear underdogs.
Successes over Chelsea in 2022 and 2024 have taken Liverpool’s tally to ten EFL Cup triumphs and if they are to reach the final again, they will have to get the better of one, or perhaps two, London clubs, with Arsenal still in the mix.
Both Liverpool and Spurs have faced difficult cup runs.
Liverpool have faced Premier League opposition in every round, dismantling West Ham United in the third round before edging out Brighton & Hove Albion and Southampton in tight clashes.
Domestically, Liverpool’s form has been solid. After a pair of league draws, their last EFL Cup win over Southampton sparked a four-game winning streak.
However, that momentum hit a bump last weekend when Man United secured a thrilling 2-2 draw at Anfield.
Fortunately for Liverpool, Arsenal also dropped points at Brighton, so they were able to maintain their six-point lead at the top of the table.
With 19 games now played, if Liverpool can replicate their performance from the first half of the season, they will finish on 92 points and almost certainly claim a second Premier League title in five years.
Head to Head
Tottenham and Liverpool reignite their League Cup rivalry in a highly anticipated clash, with Spurs holding a slight historical edge.
The North London club has advanced in four of their seven League Cup ties against Liverpool.
However, the Reds came out on top in their most recent meeting, winning 2-1 at Anfield during the 2016/17 fourth round.
Liverpool also stunned Spurs in their recent Premier League encounter, picking up a 6-3 win in North London last month.
No English team has scored seven or more away goals against Spurs in a single campaign across all competitions since Arsenal in the 2010/11 season.
The highest tally remains eight goals, achieved by Chelsea in the 2001/02 season.
Spurs have lost their last two EFL Cup games against the reigning champions, most recently in the 2021 final against Manchester City.
Their last victory over a reigning champion dates back to their 2008 League Cup final triumph, a 2-1 win over Chelsea, which was the last time they lifted a major trophy.
Team News
Postecoglou is facing a major injury crisis at Spurs, and he could be without almost his entire backline for the game against Liverpool.
Destiny Udogie joined Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero and Ben Davies on the sidelines with a hamstring problem last week, while Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray have both been struggling with illness.
Even in goal, Spurs were without back-up Fraser Forster due to illness, forcing Postecoglou to field Brandon Austin in place of the injured Guglielmo Vicario at the weekend.
However, the arrival of promising Czech keeper Antonin Kinsky could ease the pressure for now. He could start in goal against Liverpool.
Meanwhile, Richarlison, Mikey Moore, and Wilson Odobert are still absent due to a mixture of injuries and illnesses, but Rodrigo Bentancur will be available again after suspension.
Looking to extend their unbeaten run on the road to 16 games, Slot could field a strong line-up, especially with their next outing coming against League Two side Accrington Stanley.
Tottenham potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Antonin Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Archie Gray, Djed Spence; Yves Bissouma, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski; Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Son Heung Min.
Liverpool potential starting line-up:
(4-3-3): Caoimhin Kelleher; Conor Bradley, Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Konstantinos Tsimikas; Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch; Cody Gakpo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Mohamed Salah; Diogo Jota.
