Tottenham Faces Injury Crisis Ahead of Anfield Cup Clash

Tottenham head to Anfield tonight chasing a place in the Carabao Cup fourth round – and a first win at Liverpool in 15 years – with a squad stretched thin and a high-profile forward still frozen out.

Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro have both been ruled out of the tie, stripping Roberto De Zerbi of two key pieces on a night when Spurs badly need a spark after back-to-back goalless draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton.

Tonali and Porro sidelined

De Zerbi confirmed Tonali picked up a minor knock in the stalemate with Everton, while Porro continues to battle the muscular problem that kept him out at the weekend. For a squad already short of rhythm after a disrupted pre-season, the timing is brutal.

There is at least one boost. Destiny Udogie returns after missing the Everton game as a precaution and is in line to start on the left of the defence.

But the headline remains the absentees. Tonali will play no part at Anfield. Porro is still out. And Dejan Kulusevski, a long-term absentee, is not yet ready to rejoin the squad.

Richarlison left at home

The other big call is not about fitness. It is about principle.

Richarlison, eligible for the Carabao Cup despite being omitted from Spurs’ Premier League squad, will not travel to Merseyside. The Brazilian pushed hard to leave in the summer and never got his move. Spurs explored options late in the window, but nothing materialised, leaving the former Everton striker in limbo and out of De Zerbi’s plans.

The head coach was blunt in his pre-match press conference. Kulusevski is unavailable. Porro is unavailable. Udogie is in. And nothing has changed on Richarlison – for either the Carabao Cup or the Premier League.

Rotation, kids, and tired legs

Spurs are expected to rotate at Anfield, but De Zerbi is walking a tightrope. He must decide how strong a side to field while managing the workloads of several players who are still short of full fitness.

He namechecked Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus as not yet at peak condition. They may still be needed.

The door could open for academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett. De Zerbi admitted he is considering giving the youngster some minutes, even if only half an hour, to expose him to “a real game” environment. With Tonali out and others not fully up to speed, those opportunities become more likely.

Predicted Tottenham 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 on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, at Anfield, with the tie broadcast on Sky Sports and ITV4.

A patched-up Spurs, a hostile Anfield, and a 15-year wait for a win on this ground. If De Zerbi’s side want this season to mean something, nights like this cannot just drift by.