EFL Cup | Semi-Finals | 2nd Leg

Feb 6, 2025 at 8pm UK

Anfield

Liverpool vs Spurs

Match preview

Almost a month has passed since Lucas Bergvall scored a late winner for Spurs in the controversial first leg of this semi-final showdown.

Bergvall was fortunate not to receive a second yellow card for a late challenge on Kostas Tsimikas just minutes before the winner, but Liverpool and their manager, Arne Slot, would have admitted they were well below par all night in north London.

Few, however, will rule out Liverpool turning the tie on its head in this week's return leg and taking their record number of final appearances in the competition to 15.

Juergen Klopp's final triumph in charge of Liverpool was last season's EFL Cup, Liverpool's 10th win in the competition, and the bookmakers still make them favourites to retain their crown, despite trailing from the first leg and Newcastle United having one foot in the final from the other semi-final.

A two-goal win is needed here, and since losing to Nottingham Forest in September, Liverpool have been unbeaten at home in 15 matches, scoring at least twice on each occasion and winning 13 of them.

It was on the road, however, that the Reds sealed a crucial victory in their quest for a second league title in 35 years, winning 2-0 at an in-form Bournemouth side who caused Slot's side plenty of problems throughout the afternoon.

However, a double from the ever-reliable Mohamed Salah sealed the victory and moved Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League, just days after finishing top of the first phase of the Champions League.

Liverpool's next three games will be crucial in keeping their hopes of an unprecedented treble alive, with a trip to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup the weekend after before they travel to Goodison Park for the rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton.

As for Tottenham, they may not get a better chance to end their long wait for a trophy than this.

With a lead going into the second leg and the possibility of facing Newcastle in the final, as opposed to the formidable Manchester City they lost to in the 2021 final, manager Ange Postecoglou could well keep his promise of winning a trophy in his second season at the club.

However, the last two times Spurs played a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final, both against Chelsea, they ended in defeat, including in 2019 when they were 1-0 up going into the second leg on the road.

Anfield has also been a frustrating place for Spurs in recent years, with no wins there since 2011 and just three draws in 14 games, but this would be enough to take them to a fourth final since winning the competition in 2008.

However, it has been a very good week for Postecoglou's side, who beat Brentford 2-0 in the league to move up from 16th to 14th, just days after sealing their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a routine win over Elfsborg, with three youngsters getting on the scoresheet.

Another clean sheet at the weekend means that, despite all the criticism of Postecoglou's tactics and injury crisis, Spurs have now kept four clean sheets in eight games.

Two of those came against Elfsborg and Tamworth, and while they have looked hopeless at the back against Everton and Leicester City in recent times, there is no denying that they have held off two of the most potent attacks in English football in the form of Liverpool and Brentford.

Recent Performance

Liverpool EFL Cup form:WWWL

Liverpool form (all competitions):DWWWLW

Tottenham Hotspur EFL Cup form:WWWW

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):LLWLWW

Team News

Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold looks set to miss this game after being forced off with a thigh injury at Bournemouth on Saturday, but initial fears have been allayed after a scan revealed the problem is not as serious as first thought.

The recent returns of Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones mean that Joe Gomez is the only other injury absentee for the hosts, with Liverpool expected to be close to full strength.

The other places up for grabs are at left-back, where Andy Robertson and Tsimikas will battle it out for a start, and in midfield, where Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai will battle it out with Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

As players continue to return and make huge strides in their recoveries, Spurs were dealt another blow when Radu Dragusin was ruled out for the season with a knee injury sustained against Elfsborg last week.

Micky van de Ven returned for that Europa League clash and was rested at the weekend in preparation for this game, so the Dutch defender should be ready to partner Ben Davies at the back.

Postecoglou is confident that Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner will all return in the next week or so, but Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke are a little further away from a comeback.

Possible starting lineup

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son