Tottenham XI vs Liverpool: Key Players Ruled Out for Carabao Cup Clash

Tottenham head to Anfield stripped of key figures and still carrying the baggage of a bruising summer, with Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro both missing for tonight’s Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool – and Richarlison once again nowhere near the squad.

Spurs arrive on Merseyside chasing a place in the fourth round and a much-needed jolt of confidence. They have not won at Anfield for 15 years. They have not scored in their last two games, back-to-back 0-0 stalemates against Nottingham Forest and Everton. This is not a gentle setting in which to rediscover themselves.

Double injury blow for De Zerbi

Any hope of a smoother build-up disappeared when Roberto De Zerbi confirmed Tonali had picked up a minor knock in the aftermath of the Everton draw. Porro, meanwhile, remains sidelined by the muscular problem that already kept him out at the weekend.

For a squad already short of rhythm after a disrupted pre-season, it is another hit. De Zerbi’s options shrink again on a night when intensity at Anfield rarely dips below maximum.

There is at least one welcome return. Destiny Udogie, left out against Everton as a precaution, is back and goes straight into the starting XI. The Italian’s energy down the left will be vital in a side that has looked short of thrust in recent weeks.

Richarlison still frozen out

If the injuries are frustrating, the Richarlison situation is simply stark. The Brazilian is fit. He is eligible for the Carabao Cup. Yet he remains frozen out.

Richarlison made it clear across the summer that he wanted to leave Spurs. The club left him out of their Premier League squad. Player and club tried to engineer an exit in the final days of the transfer window, but nothing materialised. The result is a striker in limbo, training but not involved, a high-profile absentee by choice rather than by force.

De Zerbi confirmed Richarlison has not travelled to Merseyside and underlined that nothing has changed in his stance.

“No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available. Udogie yes. Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” he said on Monday.

Dejan Kulusevski, another long-term absentee, remains out as well, stripping Spurs of yet more creativity and cutting edge in the final third.

Rotation and opportunity

De Zerbi has rotated for the trip to Liverpool, juggling the need for freshness with the reality that this competition now offers a realistic shot at silverware and momentum.

He hinted there could be minutes for academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett, though stopped short of any guarantees.

“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. Yes, there is not Sandro Tonali. I forgot to say because he felt a knock.”

The message is clear: this is a night for the wider squad to step up.

Martin Dubravka comes in between the posts. Tosin Adarabioyo is handed his first start at the heart of defence, a significant stage on which to make a full debut. Lucas Bergvall and Conor Gallagher both start in midfield, charged with supplying the front line and helping Spurs play through Liverpool’s press.

Further forward, Mathys Tel operates off the left, with Omar Marmoush leading the line and Mohammed Kudus offering the craft and chaos between the lines that Spurs desperately need.

Confirmed Tottenham XI vs Liverpool

Tottenham XI: Dubravka; Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher; Kudus, Tel, Marmoush

Subs: Kinsky, Robertson, Van Hecke, Maddison, Savio, Fernandes, Solanke, Van de Ven, Davies

Injured: Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro, Mudryk

Unavailable: Richarlison

Kick-off is at 8pm BST on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Anfield in Liverpool. The match is live on Sky Sports and ITV4.

Anfield has not been kind to Tottenham for a decade and a half. With a patched-up squad, a marquee signing out, and a Brazil international in exile, this is a test of more than just tactics. It is a test of where this Spurs project really stands.