Tottenham Hotspur face Liverpool in tonight’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, with a troubling run of form and a depleted squad.
Spurs have won just two of their last 12 matches, suffering five defeats in nine games and going four matches without a victory. However, their struggles can be largely attributed to key injuries and player absences.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou has come under scrutiny for his tactics, but injuries to several key players, particularly in defense, have exacerbated the team’s problems.
Tottenham’s situation has worsened since their 2-1 loss to Newcastle United on Saturday. They could be without as many as 11 players for the match at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. First-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is still sidelined with a fractured ankle sustained in November.
Fraser Forster, who stepped in for Vicario, missed the Newcastle game due to illness, as did Radu Dragusin and his replacement, Archie Gray. Dragusin, Spurs’ only fit senior center-back, was substituted at halftime but is expected to recover along with Gray and winger Dejan Kulusevski, who were also ill.
Dragusin and Gray are expected to start in defense, with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, and Destiny Udogie all unavailable.
Additionally, Spurs may give a debut to their new goalkeeper, Antonin Kinsky, who joined from Slavia Prague for £12.5m over the weekend. Despite Brandon Austin impressing on his first-team debut against Newcastle, Postecoglou suggested that Kinsky, a 21-year-old Czech Republic youth international, could start after a few training sessions.
In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur returns from suspension, but James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr are both banned due to accumulating two yellow cards in the competition.
Up front, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain out, though young talent Mikey Moore may return to the bench.
Liverpool, aiming for their third League Cup final in four years, will look to exploit Tottenham’s injury troubles as Postecoglou faces a challenging lineup decision.
