Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield in the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final meeting. The Reds are trailing 1-0 from the first leg and will need to put their best put forward to beat the Lilywhites, who they have defeated 6-3 in the Premier League last year in December.
Arne Slot’s line-up in the first leg was a clear indication that he is not understating the League Cup and with several days of rest under his team’s belt, the Dutchman is expected to field a very potent side with minimal rotations. Having said that, here is a look at Liverpool’s predicted eleven for the game.
Goalkeeper – Caoimhin Kelleher is the chosen one for the domestic cups and will be the favourite to replace Alisson Becker between the sticks.
Defenders – Joe Gomez is injured, so with very limited options in the centre of defence, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil van Dijk could both keep their places. There are likely to be changes in both full back roles, however.
Trent Alexander-Arnold came off injured against Bournemouth and could be replaced by Conor Bradley at right back, whereas Andy Robertson may be rested in favour of Kostas Tsimikas on the left side.
Nunez to start up top
Midfielders – Alexis Mac Allister rested in the final half hour of the game against Bournemouth last time out, so he will likely feature in the engine room next to Ryan Gravenberch in the double pivot. Tottenham will look to harm the Reds on the transition, so both central midfielders will have to be at the top of their game.
Meanwhile, Curtis Jones may replace Dominik Szoboszlai as the attacking midfielder owing to his defensive work-rate. The wingers are unlikely to be replaced as both, Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah, are expected to keep their places in the line-up on the left and right wings.
Forward – Club-record signing, £85m superstar Darwin Nunez is likely to replace Luis Diaz as the team’s number nine. Ideally, Diogo Jota would have played but the Portuguese has not looked very promising in recent appearances.
This is how the team might look on paper.
