Tottenham Hotspur will take on Liverpool tonight in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final, facing a difficult challenge due to a poor run of form and a severely depleted squad.
Spurs have won just two of their last 12 matches, suffering five losses in their last nine games, and are currently on a four-match winless streak. These struggles are largely due to numerous injuries and absences among key players.
Head coach Ange Postecoglou has come under scrutiny for his tactics, but the team’s difficulties have been worsened by significant defensive injuries.
The situation worsened after their 2-1 Premier League defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday.
Tottenham could be missing as many as 11 players for tonight’s game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Starting goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains out with a fractured ankle, which he sustained in November.
Fraser Forster, who replaced Vicario, was absent for the Newcastle match due to illness, along with Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray, who were also unwell.
Dragusin, the team’s only available senior center-back, had to be substituted at halftime but is expected to recover in time to play alongside Gray and winger Dejan Kulusevski, who are also expected to return after illness.
Dragusin and Gray are likely to feature in defense, with Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, and Destiny Udogie all unavailable.
Spurs might also give a debut to new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky, who joined from Slavia Prague for £12.5 million over the weekend.
While Brandon Austin impressed on his first-team debut against Newcastle, Postecoglou hinted that Kinsky, a 21-year-old Czech international, could start after a few training sessions.
In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur is set to return from suspension, but James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr are both sidelined due to yellow card suspensions in the competition.
In attack, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert remain out, though young Mikey Moore could be included on the bench.
Liverpool, aiming for their third League Cup final in four years, will look to capitalize on Tottenham’s injury woes as Postecoglou tries to manage a squad in crisis.
