The EFL Cup has some mouth-watering clashes in the pre-quarterfinals stage, and one of them being Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur, which is set to take place at Anfield on Tuesday. With both teams eager to play possession-based football, the match is expected to be a cracker.
Liverpool and Spurs have been brilliant in the Premier League so far, with Klopp's men tied on points for first place with Manchester City and Arsenal. Spurs, on the other hand, have played some solid football, and no team in the league have defeated Mauricio Pochettino's side.
So when these two quality teams clash for the all-important pre-quarterfinals, they will go into this game as a confident unit, and play positive football with the clear cut objective of reaching the next round. With Spurs being involved in the Champions League as well, they are going to challenge Liverpool with their fringe players.
Pochettino spoke about the need to rotate players, but he feels fringe players have a chance to impress and knock the doors for the Premier League and Champions League matches.
"So we will rotate and we will rotate in the next few games too, because it's important that the whole squad feel they are important, have the chance to play and show their quality," Mirror quoted Spurs manager Pochettino as saying.
"It's a good chance tomorrow for some players to show they have the potential to play and fight for selection for the starting XI, not just in cups but also the Premier League and Champions League."
Talking about Liverpool, they are also set to rest some of their star players, and allow other players like Danny Ings to impress. Besides Ings, Ragnar Klavan, Alberto Moreno, Daniel Sturridge could also get plenty of playing time against Spurs. Jurgen Klopp confirmed Ings' participation for the pre-quarterfinals.
"He (Ings) had a long-term injury, he is not injured anymore and he is fit, everything is good, he plays in the U23s – that's all for his career and everything is good. How he is doing with this attitude, everything will be good at the end. What I can say is he will be involved in the squad for tomorrow 100 per cent and all the rest, we have to see," Liverpool's official website quoted Klopp as saying.
Though both the teams might be providing rest to some of their key players, they have a good squad depth to come up with a solid team, and managers of both clubs will have a positive approach.
Liverpool have been one of the entertaining teams in the competition, scoring a flurry of goals in the PL. Their style of play, which depends on high-pressing, has made them a huge threat, and with players like Sadio Mane, Adam Lallana, Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho all being brilliant, Liverpool have been a joy to watch. Even if all of them do not figure in Klopp's plans for Spurs game, they have good depth in their squad to provide a positive results on Tuesday.
With Ings set to feature, the former Burnley striker also fits Klopp's bill perfectly, as he also loves to charge at defenders, and press them high on the pitch. After scoring goals consistently for Liverpool u-23s, this match is going to be huge for Ings, who can get into the first team if he manages to impress Klopp. Simon Mignolet will replace Loris Karius in goal.
Liverpool do not have any new injury concerns ahead of the Spurs clash, but the visitors are not in a good situation as they will be without some of their key players. Harry Kane and Toby Alderweireld will not be available for the tie, while Moussa Sissoko will miss the match due to suspension.
Irrespective of some of the high-profiled players not featuring during the match, the fixture should not be short of entertainment.
Watch Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur live
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur EFL Cup is scheduled for 7.45 pm BST (12.15 am IST, 2.45 am ET) start. TV and Live streaming options can be found below.
India: TV: Ten 2, Ten 1 HD. Live streaming: Ten Sports live.
UK: TV: Sky Sports 1/HD. Live Streaming: Sky Go.
Middle East, US: TV: BeIN Sports . Live streaming: Bein Sports Connect.
South Africa and Sub Saharan Africa: TV: SuperSport 3. Live Streaming: SuperSport Live Video.
