Liverpool welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield this evening for a Carabao Cup third round tie that, on paper, should be a routine early season fixture. In practice, both clubs arrive with plenty to think about. Kick off is 8pm, with Andy Madley taking charge, and while neither side is in crisis, both managers are already fielding questions about form, selection and, in Tottenham’s case, a dressing room dispute that spilled into public view on the eve of the game.
Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool sit seventh in the Premier League after four matches, unbeaten but underwhelming, with a single win alongside three draws including a flat 0-0 at home to Fulham at the weekend. Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham are in altogether more uncomfortable territory. Four league games in, Spurs have not scored a single goal and sit 17th with two points from two draws and two defeats, a run that has turned early optimism about De Zerbi’s rebuild into genuine scrutiny.
Iraola weighs rotation against a season already asking questions
For Liverpool, this is their third match in seven days, and Iraola made no secret before the game that fatigue and injury risk are shaping his selection. “It’s the third game in seven days, it’s the worst scenario in terms of schedule,” he said, adding that his main concern is identifying which players can handle matches every three days without a drop in performance or an increased risk of injury. Expect a significantly changed Liverpool side, with Giorgi Mamardashvili given more minutes in goal and places for Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Jeremie Frimpong, alongside academy graduates Trey Nyoni and Lewis Koumas, who have both impressed when given opportunities this season.
That rotation reflects a broader truth about Iraola’s start at Anfield. Four months into the job, replacing Arne Slot after last season’s fifth placed finish, his Liverpool have shown defensive solidity and a clear attacking identity built around Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz, but they have not yet found the consistency to turn draws into wins. Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley are all missing through injury, which has limited Iraola’s options even before rotation is factored in. A routine passage into the fourth round would not silence the debate about Liverpool’s start, but a stumble against a struggling Tottenham side would sharpen it considerably.
There is also a European dimension to Iraola’s balancing act. Liverpool opened their Champions League campaign with a hard fought 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid and have further league phase fixtures to come this autumn, so squad freshness matters well beyond the next 90 minutes. Iraola has been careful not to rank the competitions publicly, insisting his focus is on winning and playing well whoever is selected, but the calendar is doing the talking for him. Three games in seven days rarely allows for anything else.
De Zerbi’s pressure mounts amid a Richarlison rift
Tottenham’s problems run deeper than the scoreline suggests. De Zerbi has already ruled Richarlison out of contention entirely, telling reporters on Monday that the Brazilian “will not play even if he’s available, not even in the Carabao Cup.” Asked to explain, De Zerbi was unusually direct: “It’s not my behaviour, it is the relationship, and the problem is between the player and the club. At the start of this season I spoke with him many times to convince him to stay and he didn’t want to. I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay.” Richarlison responded on social media with a one word reply to the news, “Why?”, accompanied by a crying emoji, a public sign of a relationship that has clearly broken down.
That backdrop makes an already difficult week harder for De Zerbi, whose side face Aston Villa in the Premier League on Saturday and cannot afford to treat this tie as a throwaway fixture given how badly they need momentum. He is expected to rotate all the same, with Lucas Bergvall and Mathys Tel likely involved and a back line De Zerbi has repeatedly praised for its depth, including Ben Davies, Marcos Senesi and Tosin Adarabioyo alongside first choice pair Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke. There is a rare positive to point to as well. James Maddison, restricted by injury for over a year, is in contention for his first start since May 2025, offering De Zerbi a creative option his goal shy side has badly missed.
History and Isak’s record favour the hosts
Anfield has not been kind to Tottenham for well over a decade. Spurs have not won there since the 2010/11 season, a run stretching across 17 visits without a win in all competitions, and Alexander Isak’s own record against them only adds to the sense of foreboding for the visitors. The Swede has scored seven goals in six appearances against Tottenham across his career, a remarkable rate even by his own high standards, and while Iraola may choose to rest him given the fixture list, his mere presence in the squad will concern a Tottenham defence already low on confidence.
For all the context around both squads, the football itself still matters. Liverpool have shown enough under Iraola to suggest a home win is the expected outcome, but Tottenham’s need for a response, any response, after four winless league games gives this tie a sharper edge than a typical third round fixture. A Spurs win would not fix everything that is wrong at the club, but it would offer De Zerbi something to build from heading into the weekend. For Liverpool, victory and a routine passage to round four would be a minor but welcome addition to a season still searching for its rhythm.
Whatever happens on the pitch tonight, both clubs go into October with plenty still to prove. If you enjoy coverage like this, consider subscribing to It Was Always… Football for more.