Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium forms the backdrop for the first leg of a mouth-watering EFL Cup semi-final tie between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. 

Considering their dreadful Premier League campaign, the EFL Cup has emerged as Tottenham’s best hope of halting a 17-year title drought. Interestingly, their last trophy came in this competition in 2007/08. However, replicating that success hinges on beating Liverpool, a side they lost to 6-3 in top-flight action last month. That was Spurs’ second consecutive H2H defeat, with both seeing them concede a whopping 4+ goals. Furthermore, since a goal-glutted 4-3 win against Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, Ange Postecoglou’s men have embarked on a frustrating four-game winless streak (D1, L3), conceding 2+ goals on each occasion. Defensive flaws have significantly plagued Tottenham’s campaign, with the North London side keeping just one clean sheet across their last 11 outings in all competitions.

That must be music to Liverpool’s ears as they bid to defend their EFL Cup crown after seeing off Southampton in the previous round. Though they squeezed past the Saints 2-1, Arne Slot’s men have averaged 3+ goals per match in this season’s competition, increasing the likelihood of another thumping win. However, a 2-2 home draw against fierce Premier League rivals Manchester United at the weekend may have dampened the Reds’ spirits ahead of this trip despite extending their incredible unbeaten run in competitive football to 24 matches. The Merseyside heavyweights can take heart from their sterling traveling record as they’ve not lost any of their last 16 competitive away matches (W12, D4) – a run stretching back to April!