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Arne Slot will have his sights set on a first cup final with Liverpool later as the Reds take on Tottenham in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Liverpool is of course defending the trophy this season, having won it in spectacular fashion against Chelsea last year for Jurgen Klopp’s last piece of silverware. Now, the competition could provide his successor with the first of what he hopes will be multiple trophies this season.

Of course, with the Premier League and Champions League still the priorities for the Reds, Slot will almost certainly make some changes in north London this evening. Having come this far though, and facing a side that will be desperate to claim some silverware of its own, the Liverpool boss may want to send a strong side out.

It’s a question then of how Slot balances things this evening. Considering Liverpool has an FA Cup clash with League Two side Accrington Stanley coming up at the weekend, that could be the ideal time for him to make wholesale changes and rest his stars, meaning tonight might see more subtle tweaks.

The first of those might see Caoimhin Kelleher deputizing for Alisson Becker in goal. Although Slot was coy on whether the Irishman will start, he has in essence become Liverpool’s cup goalkeeper over the last couple of years, and there is no reason to change that given he is a more than able backup to the Brazilian.

We could see a number of changes in defense. Slot has already suggested Ibrahima Konate might not be risked after making his return from injury on Sunday, so Jarell Quansah should start alongside Virgil van Dijk in the center.

Given the fallout from his performance against Manchester United, all eyes will be on whether Trent Alexander-Arnold starts tonight. If he doesn’t though, that’s not a sign of Slot losing faith by any stretch of the imagination, with Conor Bradley deserving of an opportunity at right-back.

We could also see Andy Robertson making way at left-back, with Kostas Tsimikas making his first start since November after returning from injury.

Midfield is a slightly tricky area to gauge. Slot would no doubt like to give Ryan Gravenberch a rest at some point, so Wataru Endo might come into his thinking, while Harvey Elliott deserves a chance to stake his claim, so he can replace Curtis Jones in the No.10 role, with Alexis Mac Allister providing some continuity.

In attack, it’s a question of whether Mohamed Salah is given a rest, and whether Federico Chiesa gets a rare start. The former’s fitness is exceptional, and having him in the side might give Liverpool the ideal platform to try and put one foot in the final, so he gets the nod from us.

On the left-hand side, Cody Gakpo gets another chance to add to his impressive tally in this competition, while it’s probably about time for Diogo Jota to return to the starting line-up, with the Portuguese replacing Luis Diaz.

Liverpool could be just 180 minutes away from another Wembley final, but it needs to overcome Tottenham first before Arne Slot can think about lifting his first piece of silverware at the club.

The Reds head to north London later this evening for the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final as they continue the defense of the trophy won by Jurgen Klopp last year. Liverpool of course has good recent memories of visiting Spurs, having put six past Ange Postecoglou's side last month, but if Slot makes changes to his side this evening, we could see a much different sort of game.

Here, Liverpool.com has picked out all of the information that you need to know, including the kick-off time, TV details, highlights and early team news. We'll start with kick-off details for the UK and US.

What time is kick-off?

The match kicks off at 8pm in the UK, which is 12pm Pacific Time and 3pm Eastern Time. It is set to be played at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, where Liverpool demolished Spurs 6-3 just last month in the Premier League, thanks to goals from Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah.

Stuart Atwell will be the referee and, unlike previous rounds in the competition, there is VAR in the semi-finals and final, with Paul Tierney in charge of that this evening. This season's semi-finals will see a new VAR system trialed, with the referee set to announce any overturned decisions to the crowd in the stadium after a review.

Is the match on TV?

Yes. Viewers in the UK can watch the game on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Football, with coverage getting underway at 7pm. Streaming-wise, the game will be available on SKY GO.

In the USA, the Carabao Cup can be streamed live on Paramount+ which is where you will find live coverage of this fixture. The highlights will be available on YouTube and the Liverpool.com team will keep you updated with all the developments.

Paramount+ offers plans starting at 7.99 and allows you to stream tons of movies, shows, and live television. You can stream the NFL on CBS, UEFA Champions League, and more, so you’ll never miss a game.

Where can I catch the highlights?

Liverpool will make highlights available on LFCTV GO as well as its other official club channels. The goals will also be shared online alongside key moments in the match.

You can follow all the updates and read the analysis on Liverpool.com and you can also follow along live on our social channels including on Twitter and Facebook, and catch the post-match press conferences on the Blood Red YouTube channel.

Early team news

Dominik Szoboszlai looks likely to miss out again tonight, with Arne Slot revealing during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday that the midfielder has still been struggling with the illness that kept him out of the game against Manchester United at the weekend.

Joe Gomez remains out injured, while Slot has already hinted that Ibrahima Konate may be rested, having made his return from injury on Sunday.

Tottenham, meanwhile, is in the midst of an injury crisis, with eight players set to be missing tonight. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains out with a foot injury, while Wilson Odobert is a long-term issue with a hamstring problem.

Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are all out injured, while Richarlison is unlikely to be involved despite returning to training. Meanwhile, James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr are suspended for the first leg, having picked up two yellow cards during Spurs' run to this point.

Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou has a few selection headaches to solve ahead of facing Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-finals this midweek with as many as 10 senior players missing through injury and suspension.

"Net-wise, we are still down," the Australian said during his press conference today. "We will get Rodrigo Bentancur back but we lose James Maddison and Pape Sarr by suspension. A couple of numbers down there.

"In terms of injuries, there is no one is back. Mikey (Moore) could potentially be available on the bench. Everyone else from the weekend certainly feel better; Radu (Dragusin) has recovered, Archie (Gray) is better. They were the main ones. Deki (Kulusevski) was under the weather but he is good. Pretty much as it was on the weekend plus Bentancur and minus the other two."

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Dragusin and Gray were ill at the weekend but they are likely to partner up at center-back. Richarlison is training again but he needs another few days before he is ready to be involved competitively.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is currently missing with a foot injury while summer signing Wilson Odobert has a long-term hamstring issue. Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are all out injured at the moment, though all but Udogie could be back by the end of this month. That would mean each being involved in the return leg at Anfield, which isn't until Thursday, February 6.

Spurs could start new goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky after he was granted a work permit. "We will see," Postecoglou said. "He arrived on Sunday I think. He has had a couple of days of training. He is registered and eligible to play. We still have got to do a couple final things with him and then we will see."

Ange Postecoglou is dealing with an injury crisis ahead of the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final between Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool.

Spurs approach the game on the back of a woeful run of form and have failed to win any of the last four matches. A 2-1 defeat to Newcastle United on Saturday means Tottenham is sitting 11th in the Premier League table.

While Postecoglou’s style has drawn criticism, the former Celtic manager has not been helped by the number of injuries and a recent illness outbreak. Radu Dragusin was the latest to succumb to the latter and had to be replaced at half-time against Newcastle.

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With Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Ben Davies injured, it means Spurs played the second half at the weekend without a recognised center-back. Archie Gray has filled in at the heart of defence over recent weeks, but Postecoglou revealed after the loss to Eddie Howe’s side that he has also been struggling with illness.

The bug kept Fraser Forster out of the game altogether and with first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario injured, it meant Brandon Austin had to deputise in nets, and may be forced to do so again against Liverpool on Wednesday.

Destiny Udogie and Wilson Odobert are definitely ruled out of the match, but Mickey Moore and Richarlison could be in line to return if they have recovered from injury in time. "At this stage, Richy and Mikey Moore are the two next cabs off the rank, hopefully next week at some point,” said Postecoglou ahead of the Newcastle game.

It brings the number of possible or confirmed absentees up to 10 for Spurs - which is far from ideal ahead of a clash with Arne Slot’s Liverpool.

The Reds won 6-3 when the sides met just over two weeks ago and a similar scoreline in the semi-final first leg would be welcome on Wednesday night. The sides lock horns in the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this week, with the return fixture at Anfield not set to be played until 6 February.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has hinted Ibrahima Konate will not feature in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur this week.

The French defender returned to the Liverpool starting line-up for the first time since he picked up a knee injury back in November against Real Madrid in the Champions League, with the Reds drawing 2-2 with Manchester United in his return.

However, due to having only just returned to first-team action, Slot has hinted he might not feature against Tottenham in midweek, which would likely see Jarell Quansah partner Virgil van Dijk at the heart of the Reds defence. Speaking after the draw with United, where Konate played 90 minutes, Slot said: "Because he was fit [on his decision to throw Konate back into the starting XI].

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"If he wouldn’t (feel okay), we wouldn’t have started him. Then he doesn’t train with us. The moment he starts to train with the team, he is fit again.

"And it’s not to say he can immediately play two games in a week, but he can definitely play 90 minutes like he showed today. And like you saw, except the first game when I chose Quansah, all the other games, when Ibou was fit, he started. The moment he is fit, he can start.

"But if you’ve been out for such a long time, it is difficult to immediately play two games a week. So it will not come as a surprise if he does not play on Wednesday. He played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes he was ready to play."

Arne Slot has explained why he chose to select Ibrahima Konate against Manchester United, with the Frenchman starting ahead of Jarell Quansah.

Konate had missed the last eight games prior to the visit of Ruben Amorim’s side, with Joe Gomez tending to fill in at the heart of defence in his absence. But with the latter sustaining a hamstring injury last time against West Ham United, Slot was always going to be forced into a defensive change against United.

Quansah had seemed the obvious choice leading up to the game, with Liverpool’s official website even asking the academy graduate about the possibility of facing United. Instead, Konate was something of a shock selection.

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The former RB Leipzig man was only back in training on Friday, but two days later played the full 90 minutes on his Premier League return. While some could view the decision, and Slot’s reluctance to play Quansah, as an indication that he is not rated by the Dutchman, the Liverpool boss rejected that suggestion.

Asked why he chose Konate, Slot replied: “Because he was fit. If he wouldn’t [have been] then we wouldn’t have started him, then he doesn’t train with us. The moment he starts to train with the team he is fit again. It is not to say that he can immediately play two games a week, but he can definitely play 90 minutes, like he showed today.

“Like you saw, except for the first game when I chose Quansah, all the other games when Ibou was fit he started, so that’s the answer I think to your question. The moment he is fit, he can start.

"But if you have been out for such a long time it’s difficult to immediately play then two games a week, so it must not come as a surprise if he doesn’t play on Wednesday. But he played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes that he was ready to play.”

It seems likely that Quansah will start against Tottenham Hotspur in Wednesday’s Carabao Cup semifinal first leg and afford the youngster a rare opportunity. The center-back has started just two Premier League matches all season, one of which came on the opening weekend of the season when he was replaced at halftime against Ipswich Town.

Quansah's minutes since have led to the conclusion that Slot prefers Konate or Gomez alongside Virgil van Dijk.

Tottenham hosts Wolves in the Premier League later today, with Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou under pressure to deliver a win after two poor performances.

Tottenham has lost its last two games against Nottingham Forest and Liverpool to leave it sitting in 12th in the table, with more and more questions being asked about their manager's style of play.

They come up against a Wolves side on a massive high after back-to-back wins over Leicester City and Manchester United, with the arrival of Vitor Pereira making an instant impact.

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Here's all you need to know in order to be able to watch the match...

What time is kick-off?

The match kicks off at 3pm in the UK, which is 7am Pacific Time and 10am Eastern Time in the US. Chris Kavanagh is the referee for the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with Jarred Gillett on VAR duty. The two sides last met back in February, with a Joao Gomes double securing a 2-1 win for Wolves in north London.

Is the match on TV?

Viewers in the UK will be unable to watch the game live, with Sky Sports instead showing Leicester vs Manchester City and West Ham vs Liverpool today.

In the US, the game can be watched live on Peacock Premium, while it can be streamed on Peacock.

Want to watch more live sports? Peacock has your favorite sports, shows, and more all in one place. Peacock offers plans starting at $7.99 so you can stream live sports like NFL, Premier League, and Big Ten Football.

Where can I catch the highlights?

Highlights from the game will be uploaded to the Sky Sports Premier League channel on YouTube shortly after full-time. Fans in the UK will also be able to catch extended highlights on Match of the Day, which is scheduled to be shown at 10:30pm on BBC One and will include highlights from five other games, including Liverpool's trip to West Ham.

Early team news

Tottenham could be without nine players later as their injury crisis continues. Djed Spence is out through suspension after being sent off against Nottingham Forest, while seven players are set to be missing through injury or illness.

Ben Davies, Mikey Moore, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison are all ruled out, while Radu Dragusin is a doubt after picking up an ankle knock.

As for Wolves, Pablo Sarabia, Sasa Kalajdzic, Boubacar Traore, Enso Gonzalez and Yerson Mosquera are all set to miss out through injury, while Mario Lemina is a doubt with a calf problem.

Ex-Tottenham striker Gary Lineker believes that regardless of the strategy deployed by Ange Postecoglou, Liverpool would have emerged victorious over Spurs in their 6-3 defeat on Sunday, simply due to their superior roster.

Spurs were left red-faced at home by Arne Slot's Reds, with Postecoglou's team trailing 5-1 just an hour into the match. Despite a late surge from Spurs, reducing the gap to 5-3 after goals from Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke in the final 20 minutes, it was insufficient. Luis Diaz then scored his second goal of the game to secure an exhilarating win for league leader Liverpool.

Postecoglou has been heavily criticized for his tactical decisions in some of Spurs' most significant losses this season, despite dealing with numerous injuries, particularly in defense. However, Lineker is of the opinion that irrespective of the formation or tactics used by their Australian manager, Spurs would have found it tough against Slot's side.

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In an exciting encounter, James Maddison managed to pull one back for Spurs in the first half, reducing Liverpool's earlier 2-0 lead provided by goals from Diaz and Alexis Mac Allister within the first 35 minutes.

Hopes of a Tottenham comeback were briefly ignited until Dominik Szoboszlai breached their defense in a quick counter-attack, slotting the ball through Fraser Forster's legs as Spurs were caught out once again having recklessly pressed too high up the pitch just before half-time.

Spurs' mastery of match tempo has come under the microscope, with a slim 2-1 deficit at half-time seen as potentially crucial in offering a lifeline for regrouping against Liverpool. However, heading into the break 3-1 down proved an insurmountable challenge for Tottenham facing a Liverpool team hitting its stride.

Gary Lineker, sharing his views on The Rest is Football podcast, didn't mince words when discussing Spurs' chances against the Reds. "When those two teams lined up today, you thought, well, however Tottenham shape up they're going to get beaten by that [Liverpool] side, particularly if they're playing that well," he said.

The former England striker did give a nod to Tottenham's expansive style of play under Postecoglou, which has yielded them the most goals in the Premier League so far with a tally of 39. Despite currently sitting 11th in the table, Lineker recognizes how supporters relish the team's dynamic football.

Yet, dissatisfaction brews among many fans who lay blame squarely at the feet of Daniel Levy and the board for their standing, accusing them of inadequately backing the manager in the transfer market, thus crafting a squad lacking enough depth to truly challenge the league's best — a sentiment that fueled protests against Levy just last Sunday.

"It's Tottenham. I mean, they're gung ho, we know that," Lineker remarked. "And [Postecoglou] doesn't change things just because he's got a few injuries and played boring football. I mean, every time Tottenham play, I think, and some of the fans will disagree with me, and that's absolutely fine because we know it's a results business. But you must look forward to going to see the games and not knowing quite what to expect."

On the other hand, his podcast mate Alan Shearer pointed out that player naivety and recklessness were partly to blame for Spurs' collapse against Liverpool, particularly in the moments leading up to half-time, which left them vulnerable and allowed the Reds to effectively clinch the match. "Sometimes, as a player or a team, you have to take responsibility without your manager, without whatever way he wants to play," Shearer commented.

"You know, they get to 2-1 today and a minute before half-time, it's still gung ho. You just say, 'OK, we've actually taken a beating in that first half. If we can get to 2-1, we've probably been extremely lucky'. So once you get that goal, you say, 'OK, two minutes to half time, let's just see'."

"But yet, they still commit so many men forward and then get hit on the break. And once Liverpool get that third one, just before the break, you're thinking, done. I thought that minute cost them the game. And then they were never going to come back from that."

Spurs are now gearing up for a challenging visit to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Boxing Day. Liverpool will host Leicester City at Anfield later the same day.

The dates for Liverpool’s two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur have been confirmed by the EFL.

The Reds were paired with Spurs just two days before Sunday’s pulsating 6-3 win in the capital, and Liverpool fans - and neutrals - will hope for a repeat of that when the Reds travel to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium again next month.

The first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final will be played at the ground on Wednesday 8 January, in between Liverpool’s games against Manchester United and Accrington Stanley. There is also a four-week gap between the two legs against Spurs, with the second to be played at Anfield on Thursday 6 February. Both matches will kick off at 20:00 GMT.

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The home tie will be sandwiched either side of a Premier League trip to Bournemouth, and a fourth-round FA Cup clash, should Liverpool progress. Assuming Arne Slot’s side eliminate Accrington it means that a fourth-round tie will most likely be played on the Sunday or Monday after the Spurs second leg.

Elsewhere, in the other semi-final, Arsenal and Newcastle United will see the first meeting take place at the Emirates on Tuesday 7 January, with the return fixture set for Wednesday 5 February.

The 2025 Carabao Cup final will take place on 16 March, meaning, should Liverpool secure its place, the home Premier League match against Wolverhampton Wanderers will need to be rearranged.

Given Liverpool’s fixture pile up that is far from ideal. Progression into the last four of the Carabao Cup means the Reds have midweek matches in six of the next seven weeks, and that’s after a run of four midweek matches since the November international break. With a trip to Everton to be squeezed in somehow as well, the mounting number of games could become a pressing subject for Slot in coming months.

For now, the Dutchman will still be reveling in Liverpool’s 6-3 win on Sunday. Goals from Luis Diaz (2), Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mohamed Salah (2) secured the three points, although Slot was disappointed with Liverpool’s defending at times.

“Until 60 to 65 minutes, I really, really, really enjoyed what I saw,” the 46-year-old said after the game. “But then you also saw that no matter how much quality players have, if they think they don’t have to run anymore in this league, especially against Tottenham, they immediately start to create and they scored two goals. I was happy when the sixth one went in.

“Maybe it is human when you are 5-1 up. You think: ‘OK’. But Tottenham always keep on going and they have the ability to create. You have to be on top of your game every second of the game and if you’re not 100% then it hurts you.”

The win at Spurs means Liverpool tops the Premier League table by four points at Christmas, with a game in hand. Next up is the home match against Leicester City on Boxing Day.

Liverpool racked up a first Premier League win in three weeks as the Reds routed Spurs in North London to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League table.

Arne Slot's men will spend Christmas Day four points clear of nearest challenger Chelsea and with a game in hand, after Enzo Maresca's side was held to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park earlier on Sunday.

While Slot was not totally happy with his players' performance, despite the six goals scored, he cannot have been too surprised by the way the match panned out.

The last five matches involving Spurs have now featured 30 goals, with the all-or-nothing approach favored by Ange Postecoglou gaining plenty of attention of late.

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Postecoglou's stubbornness was always likely to lead to a frenetic game against Liverpool, but not many people were expecting nine goals to be scored between the two sides.

That's exactly what happened though, and whoever was in charge of controlling the scoreboards inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was keen to quickly remove the scoreline from it as soon as the final whistle went, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Despite the swift removal of the final score from the huge screens that are stationed in each corner of the stadium, those in attendance will not forget the outcome of the nine-goal game in a hurry.

The result never really looked to be in doubt after the first goal of the game was scored by Luis Diaz after 23 minutes, and by just after the hour mark Liverpool had scored five times.

Even when Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke scored to make it 3-5, there was always a feeling that Liverpool could score at will, and that's exactly what happened when Diaz rounded off the afternoon's scoring in the 85th minute.

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot was generally pleased with his side's performance but was not happy with the manner of the goals it conceded in the second half. "For 60 minutes we did everything we had to do, we were comfortable and good with the ball. The main thing is we worked very, very hard," Slot told Match of the Day.

"But then the same players with the same quality thought that 10 or 15 minutes of not working as hard was good enough. Tottenham have enough quality to score goals if you give them chances. You have to be on top of your game for the whole game and we didn't do that."