Prediction: Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur

Verdict: Total home goals over 2.5

Best odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: Unibet

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur meet at Anfield on Thursday night for the second leg of their Carabao Cup semifinal, with Spurs holding a narrow 1-0 aggregate advantage.

Both teams enter the clash in high spirits following crucial 2-0 away victories over the weekend, results that have significant implications for both ends of the Premier League table.

Liverpool

Nearly a month has passed since Lucas Bergvall scored a late winner for Spurs in the first leg of this semifinal, which ended in controversy.

Moments before netting the decisive goal, Bergvall was fortunate to avoid a second yellow card for a late tackle on Kostas Tsimikas. However, Liverpool and their manager Arne Slot would likely admit they were well below their best throughout the evening in North London.

Despite that setback, many expect Liverpool to overturn the deficit this week and extend their record to 15 final appearances in this competition. Jurgen Klopp’s last trophy with Liverpool was last season’s Carabao Cup, which marked the club’s 10th triumph in the competition. Despite trailing from the first leg and Newcastle United being close to securing the other final spot, bookmakers still back Liverpool to retain their title.

Liverpool need a two-goal victory here. Since their September defeat to Nottingham Forest, they have gone 15 games unbeaten at home, scoring at least twice in each match and winning 13.

Their pursuit of a second league title in 35 years saw them claim a vital 2-0 away victory against an in-form Bournemouth side that gave Slot’s team significant trouble throughout. Mohamed Salah’s double secured the win, keeping Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League, just days after they topped the inaugural Champions League league phase.

Liverpool’s next three fixtures are crucial for maintaining their quadruple ambitions, beginning with an FA Cup trip to Plymouth Argyle this weekend, followed by a rescheduled Merseyside Derby at Goodison Park against Everton.

Team News

Forced off with a thigh injury at Bournemouth on Saturday, Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss this game. However, a scan provided relief by showing the issue is less serious than initially feared, and he should be back in time for the Merseyside Derby.

With recent returns of Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones, Joe Gomez remains Liverpool’s only other injury absentee, leaving them nearly at full strength for this fixture.

Competition for starting spots continues at left-back, where Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas vie for selection, while in midfield, Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai are contenders to join Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham may not have a better chance to end their long trophy drought than this one. Leading ahead of the second leg and possibly facing Newcastle rather than the formidable Manchester City, who defeated them in the 2021 final, manager Ange Postecoglou could fulfill his promise of securing silverware by his second season.

However, Spurs’ recent history in two-legged Carabao Cup semifinals prompts caution, as they lost both encounters against Chelsea, including a 2019 defeat despite leading 1-0 after the first leg.

Anfield has been a tough venue for Tottenham, with no wins since 2011 and just three draws in 14 visits. Yet, that would be enough to secure their fourth final appearance since winning the competition in 2008.

Postecoglou had a positive week, guiding Spurs to a 2-0 league win over Brentford, lifting them from 16th to 14th, shortly after sealing a Europa League last-16 spot with a routine victory over Elfsborg, where three young players found the net.

Another clean sheet at the weekend marked their fourth in eight games, despite ongoing criticism of Postecoglou’s tactics and their injury crisis. While two shutouts were against Elfsborg and Tamworth, keeping Liverpool and Brentford – two very formidable attacking sides – at bay is no small feat.

Team News

As players continue to recover and return, Spurs have suffered a significant setback with Radu Dragusin ruled out for the season due to the knee injury he sustained against Elfsborg last week.

Micky van de Ven made his return in that Europa League match but was rested over the weekend to prepare for this fixture, so the Dutch centre-back is expected to partner Ben Davies in the heart of the back line.

Postecoglou expressed confidence that Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert, and Timo Werner will return within the next week. However, Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke are expected to be sidelined for longer than that.

Conclusion

The first leg marked the first time this season either side featured in an EFL Cup match with fewer than three goals. Given Postecoglou’s reluctance to change tactics and Liverpool’s urgent need to score, another high-scoring encounter could be on the cards—though likely not in Spurs’ favor.

Despite ending their poor league run over the weekend, Spurs have consistently struggled defensively against stronger teams. If Liverpool are at their best, a repeat of their commanding 6-3 league victory in December seems a real possibility.

Verdict: Total home goals over 2.5

Best odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: Unibet