Tottenham XI vs Liverpool: De Zerbi Faces Selection Challenges
Tottenham head to Anfield tonight stripped of two key starters and still carrying the weight of a 15-year winless run on Merseyside.
Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro have both been ruled out of the Carabao Cup third-round tie, deepening Roberto De Zerbi’s selection problems at the worst possible time. Richarlison, meanwhile, remains firmly out in the cold despite being eligible to play.
Spurs arrive in Liverpool desperate. Back-to-back 0-0 draws with Nottingham Forest and Everton have stalled early-season momentum and exposed a squad still feeling the effects of a disjointed pre-season. A cup run would help. A statement result at Anfield would transform the mood.
Instead, De Zerbi travels without his marquee midfielder and first-choice right-back.
Tonali picked up a minor knock in the goalless draw with Everton and has not recovered in time. Porro continues to struggle with the muscular problem that kept him out at the weekend. Both stay at home.
The news is not entirely bleak. Destiny Udogie returns after being left out against Everton as a precaution, a welcome boost for a back line that will already look different from the Premier League version.
“Udogie yes,” De Zerbi confirmed on Monday, before running through a grim injury list. “No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available… Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same.”
Richarlison’s exile continues. The Brazilian pushed hard for a move in the final days of the transfer window, Spurs were open to it, but no deal arrived. He was then omitted from the club’s Premier League squad and now remains sidelined from cup duty too. Available on paper, but not on the plane.
Dejan Kulusevski’s long-term absence drags on, joining a growing list that already includes Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhailo Mudryk. Tonali and Porro now add fresh strain to a squad that badly needs rhythm and continuity.
De Zerbi, though, cannot simply throw everyone in. The balancing act is brutal: protect legs, but avoid another flat, goalless display.
Spurs are expected to rotate at Anfield, with the head coach openly admitting he has to share minutes around his squad. Young academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett is one of those under consideration for a taste of first-team action.
“I don't know, Luca,” De Zerbi said. “We have to see because many players need to play. Maybe not 90 minutes, 90 minutes, but 30 minutes a real game is important. Yes, there is not Sandro Tonali. I forgot to say because he felt a knock.”
That throwaway line about Tonali underlined the chaos of his current selection puzzle. Several senior players are short of full sharpness: Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus all need minutes, but not overload.
So De Zerbi looks likely to field something close to a hybrid XI: strong enough to live with Liverpool at Anfield, rotated enough to avoid a fitness crisis by the weekend.
Martin Dubravka is set to start in goal, with a back four of Djed Spence or another option at right-back replaced here by Gray, alongside Tosin Adarabioyo and Marcos Senesi, with Udogie returning on the left. In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur could anchor a trio with teenage talent Lucas Bergvall and Gallagher, while Kudus supports Dominic Solanke and Omar Marmoush in attack.
Tottenham predicted XI vs Liverpool
- Dubravka;
- Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie;
- Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher;
- Kudus, Solanke, Marmoush
Injured: Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro, Mudryk
Unavailable: Richarlison
Kick-off is at 8pm BST tonight at Anfield, live on Sky Sports and ITV4. A patched-up Spurs side, a hostile stadium, a competition that suddenly feels important. If De Zerbi can steer this group into the fourth round, what might that do for a season still searching for its spark?
