Tottenham and Liverpool Face Selection Challenges in Carabao Cup Clash

Tottenham and Liverpool head into their Carabao Cup third-round tie at Anfield with both managers juggling problems rather than picking from a position of strength.

For Roberto De Zerbi, the biggest headline is simple: Sandro Tonali will not play.

The 26-year-old midfielder has taken a knock and joins a growing list of absentees for Spurs ahead of Tuesday night on Merseyside. It is a significant blow for a side already stripped of some of its key pieces.

De Zerbi’s selection puzzle

Facing the media at Hotspur Way on Monday, De Zerbi moved briskly through the roll call of injuries and omissions. Dejan Kulusevski? Out. Pedro Porro? Still unavailable. Then, finally, a sliver of good news.

“Udogie yes,” he confirmed, welcoming Destiny Udogie back into the fold after his long-awaited return to fitness.

Any optimism stopped there. “No Sandro Tonali, he felt a knock,” De Zerbi added, underlining just how stretched his squad has become.

The absences do not end with Tonali. Mykhailo Mudryk, Xavi Simons, and Wilson Odobert will also miss the trip to Anfield. All three sit out, stripping Spurs of pace, creativity, and depth in attacking areas.

And then there is Richarlison.

The Brazilian’s situation has hung over Tottenham since the summer, when he made clear his desire to leave. Technically, he could feature in the Carabao Cup despite not being registered for Premier League duty. De Zerbi has no intention of using that loophole.

“Richarlison, you already know everything, so nothing changes with the Carabao Cup or Premier League,” the Italian said, shutting down any suggestion of a surprise recall.

He went further, making it clear the issue lies above his pay grade.

“I said last press conference. I know what happened in the last 45 days. It’s not right if I explained. It’s not my behavior, the relationship. The problem is between the player and the club. I stay within the club. It’s coach and club together.

“At the start of this season, I spoke to him many times to convince him to stay, and he didn’t want to. I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.”

With Richarlison out of the picture and several attackers sidelined, De Zerbi must lean on those who are available and ready to shoulder the load.

“[Dominic] Solanke is a good player. He needs to improve his physical condition and stay positive because he can score many goals with us,” he said, placing responsibility squarely on the striker’s shoulders.

He also pointed to the potential of others waiting for a bigger role.

“[Omar] Marmoush and Savio were not the protagonist but that is different here,” De Zerbi noted, hinting that the Carabao Cup could be the stage where their status starts to change.

Iraola’s workload warning

On the other side, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola is not dealing with the same kind of selection drama, but he is fighting the calendar.

This tie is Liverpool’s third game in seven days, and the Spaniard made no attempt to hide his frustration with the schedule when he spoke on Monday.

“It’s the third game (in seven days) it’s the worst scenario in terms of schedule, we haven’t been lucky,” he said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

The contrast in preparation time has been stark in recent weeks.

“After this one we have a little bit more before we play Bournemouth and you noticed the gap between Ipswich and Atletico and Atletico and Fulham. It’s a big difference.”

Fatigue is the invisible opponent here. Iraola knows he cannot simply roll out the same XI every three days and hope for the best.

“We have to get used to it. You can put the same players in every game. The problem is there will be a moment they are really tired, and there is more risk of injury.

“There are players who play every three days and have no issues; they can accept it, and performances don’t change too much. Then there are players where the risk is bigger and the performances are different.”

This is the balancing act that will shape his team selection against Spurs.

“And we are in a position where I have to learn who is ready to play and who is ready to rest, so their performance level doesn’t drop. I had an idea with some of them, but for some of them it is new as they haven’t played as many games before.”

So Anfield will stage more than just a cup tie. On one bench, a manager stripped of several key names and forced to improvise. On the other, a coach testing the limits of his squad’s endurance.

Between injury lists, transfer sagas, and a punishing schedule, this third-round clash already feels like a test of who can adapt fastest — and who can keep their season on track under strain.