Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur

A place in the League Cup grand final is at stake as Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur go head-to-head in the return leg of their semi-final tie.

As one of only three clubs still competing in the FA Cup and League Cup, Liverpool must overhaul a slender deficit to get closer to winning back-to-back titles in this competition for the first time since the early 80s. Former manager Jurgen Klopp inspired Liverpool to a record-extending 10th title last term, and it’s up to Arne Slot to maintain his predecessor’s legacy. The Reds head into proceedings in fine spirits after beating Bournemouth 2-0 last weekend to protect a six-point lead on second-placed Arsenal in a heated Premier League title battle. Furthermore, they’ve been in formidable form at Anfield since losing 1-0 to Nottingham Forest in mid-September, winning 13 of their subsequent 15 home outings across all competitions (D2) while netting 2+ goals on each occasion.

That spells trouble for Tottenham’s porous backline, even though they’ve kept a clean sheet in four of their last eight competitive games, including a 2-0 win at Brentford over the weekend. Nailed to the bottom half of the Premier League standings, Spurs may see this competition as a welcome distraction, especially considering their last piece of silverware came in the League Cup 17 years ago. However, recent trips to Anfield have produced nothing but misery for Ange Postecoglou as his team lost their last two meetings with Liverpool at this venue via an aggregate score of 8-5. That’s not to mention the Lilywhites slipped to a dismal 6-3 H2H defeat at home earlier this season. On the bright side, they’ve gone from consecutive away losses to two straight victories.