ShareLiverpool host Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening with both teams desperate for a performance as well as a result.By Sam McGuireThe story of the seasonThe Reds are unbeaten in five under Andoni Iraola. Alexander Isak is scoring goals. Jérémy Jacquet looks like the signing of the summer and Ronald Araújo is on his way to quickly becoming a bit of a cult hero at Anfield. And yet the feeling is things aren’t going well for the 2024/25 Premier League champions.Encouraging wins over Ipswich Town and Atlético Madrid following successive draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest seemed to point at Liverpool finally finding their feet under Iraola but a 0-0 draw with Fulham last time out was a bit of a reality check. Liverpool struggled to create and it’s been a bit of a pattern in their recent games. They struggled to control the game despite having more of the ball and the match did nothing to answer the questions looming over the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz. Spurs are also having a torrid time despite a summer of obscene spending under Roberto De Zerbi. Tottenham are winless in the Premier League and are yet to score a goal in the English top-flight. Their one positive result of the season arrived in the Carabao Cup against Charlton when a heavily rotated XI put five past the Championship side. De Zerbi’s men are a team in transition. They’re also a team in survival mode, struggling to adapt to his methods while trying to, bizarrely given we’re only in September, prolong their 2026/27 season. They’re currently 19th in the Premier League for Expected Goals with a total of 3.4 from their four games. Only Newcastle (3.0) have a lower haul, and Spurs are one of the ball dominant sides in the English top-flight. All of the ball but no idea what to do with it. They’ll likely name a changed XI for this trip with the Premier League their focus after the money they spent this summer, but expect some stars to be included with De Zerbi in dire need of a result to show his methods are working. Key Players This is the first real chance for Iraola to rotate his team so expect to see some youngsters given a chance. The likes of Lewis Koumas, a firm Iraola favourite, and Trey Nyoni might get the nod. With the midfield struggling, the latter has the opportunity to leapfrog senior players in the pecking order and claim a place in the starting XI.For Spurs, it’s also a game of opportunity. Fringe players, like Dominic Solanke, could put down a marker and force their way into De Zerbi’s plans if they get named in the starting XI. A bad rut for both teams can be seen as a ladder for players looking to climb the ranks. Team NewsLiverpool are still without Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley while Fede Chiesa is expected to be out for a few more weeks with a back injury. Joe Gomez might finally return from the injury sustained in pre-season. Spurs are missing a number of players too with Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhaylo Mudryk all ruled out for this clash. Prediction This one has the potential to go all the way to penalties. We’re going 1-1 with the hosts claiming a shootout victory. (Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Carabao Cup AKA EFL Cup with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.Liverpool host Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening with both teams desperate for a performance as well as a result.By Sam McGuireThe story of the seasonThe Reds are unbeaten in five under Andoni Iraola. Alexander Isak is scoring goals. Jérémy Jacquet looks like the signing of the summer and Ronald Araújo is on his way to quickly becoming a bit of a cult hero at Anfield. And yet the feeling is things aren’t going well for the 2024/25 Premier League champions.Encouraging wins over Ipswich Town and Atlético Madrid following successive draws against Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest seemed to point at Liverpool finally finding their feet under Iraola but a 0-0 draw with Fulham last time out was a bit of a reality check. Liverpool struggled to create and it’s been a bit of a pattern in their recent games. They struggled to control the game despite having more of the ball and the match did nothing to answer the questions looming over the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Florian Wirtz. Spurs are also having a torrid time despite a summer of obscene spending under Roberto De Zerbi. Tottenham are winless in the Premier League and are yet to score a goal in the English top-flight. Their one positive result of the season arrived in the Carabao Cup against Charlton when a heavily rotated XI put five past the Championship side. De Zerbi’s men are a team in transition. They’re also a team in survival mode, struggling to adapt to his methods while trying to, bizarrely given we’re only in September, prolong their 2026/27 season. They’re currently 19th in the Premier League for Expected Goals with a total of 3.4 from their four games. Only Newcastle (3.0) have a lower haul, and Spurs are one of the ball dominant sides in the English top-flight. All of the ball but no idea what to do with it. They’ll likely name a changed XI for this trip with the Premier League their focus after the money they spent this summer, but expect some stars to be included with De Zerbi in dire need of a result to show his methods are working. Key Players This is the first real chance for Iraola to rotate his team so expect to see some youngsters given a chance. The likes of Lewis Koumas, a firm Iraola favourite, and Trey Nyoni might get the nod. With the midfield struggling, the latter has the opportunity to leapfrog senior players in the pecking order and claim a place in the starting XI.For Spurs, it’s also a game of opportunity. Fringe players, like Dominic Solanke, could put down a marker and force their way into De Zerbi’s plans if they get named in the starting XI. A bad rut for both teams can be seen as a ladder for players looking to climb the ranks. Team NewsLiverpool are still without Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley while Fede Chiesa is expected to be out for a few more weeks with a back injury. Joe Gomez might finally return from the injury sustained in pre-season. Spurs are missing a number of players too with Dejan Kulusevski, Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Mykhaylo Mudryk all ruled out for this clash. Prediction This one has the potential to go all the way to penalties. We’re going 1-1 with the hosts claiming a shootout victory. (Cover image from IMAGO)You can follow every game from the Carabao Cup AKA EFL Cup with FotMob this season — featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.Add FotMob as a preferred news source on Google by clicking – here.