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Liverpool vs Tottenham team news ahead of the Premier League fixture at Anfield.

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Liverpool supporters will be heading to Anfield in buoyant mood. They might be expecting to return home in the wee hours. That is because the Premier League title could be secured with a victory over Tottenham Hotspur.

Kopites have not celebrated an English championship properly since 1990. The Covid-19 pandemic denied them the chance to toast the feat when Jurgen Klopp’s side ended the 30-year wait. But new generations are on the verge of experiencing what their parents and grandparents got to cherish throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.

Three points is all it will take for Liverpool to claim the title. In truth, many would have been glad that Arsenal defeated Crystal Palace on Wednesday night. Reds fans want to celebrate it properly. Of course, it was a nice problem to have. But the potential feeling of winning the silverware at the full-time whistle will be euphoric.

Yet Liverpool still have to keep to their end of the bargain. Head coach Slot, captain Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the squad know there is still a job to do and that is to beat Tottenham.

But Slot is set to head into the fixture with almost a full complement of players yet again. Trent Alexander-Arnold returned from an ankle injury in emphatic style to score the winning goal at Leicester City. It will be intriguing if Alexander-Arnold.

The only member of the current Reds squad absent is Joe Gomez. The defender is working his way back from hamstring surgery. There is hope that Gomez will be able to play some part before the end of the campaign.

Slot’s troops will be heavy favourites to defeat Tottenham. Pressure is on Ange Postecoglou after their 2-1 defeat by Nottingham Forest earlier this week was their 18th league loss of the season. Spurs languish 16th in the table and their main focus for the rest of the season is on the Europa League. They face Bodo/ Glimt in the semi-finals, with the victors of the competitions earning a spot in next term’s Champions League.

The visitors will definitely be without centre-back Radu Dragusin, who has surgery from an ACL injury in February. Meanwhile, captain Heung-Min Son is a doubt. He has a foot issue and was absent against Forest.

Head coach Postecoglou left Destiny Udogie out of his squad for the Forest reverse but he could return. Meanwhile, centre-half duo Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero were substituted at half-time.

Liverpool face Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield on Sunday hoping to secure the Premier League title.

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Ange Postecoglou has explained the substitutions of his two key centre-backs as Tottenham Hotspur sank to another Premier League defeat.

Spurs lost for the 18th time in the top flight this season with a 2-1 reverse against Nottingham Forest. Elliot Anderson and Chris Wood put Champions League-chasing Forest in command inside 16 minutes in North London, with Richarlison netting a late consolation for the home side. As a result, it leaves Tottenham languishing 16th in the Premier League.

Spurs' priority for the remainder of the season is the Europa League. They face Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals and the winner of the competition earns a spot in next campaign’s Champions League.

As a result, Postecoglou opted to withdraw Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero at half-time against Forest. Both have had hamstring injuries this season. Regular left-back Destiny Udogie was omitted from the squad entirely following the 1-0 Europa League win over Eintracht Frankfurt last week and James Maddison was an unused substitute.

Spurs team news

Spurs boss Postecoglou said via Football.London: I thought they needed to play some minutes tonight because it becomes 10 days leading into Liverpool. With both of them we've got them in a really good place physically now and I just want to keep them ticking over. I felt that there was no need to play more than 45 minutes today and we needed to get a couple of others game time. I just felt that if it was Sunday we probably wouldn't have played them, but on a Monday, especially for Micky because he's been playing just one game a week, we need to build him up because he's in a really good place at the moment so I thought 45 minutes for both of them would be beneficial

Destiny was fine. We just left him out of the squad tonight. He put in a big physical shift on Thursday and the idea was always to rest him. I wasn't going to put him on so there was no point in putting him on the bench. Madders was pretty sore yesterday but in the last 24 hours he recovered and was keen to be on the bench. They're both fine.”

Spurs turn their attention to a trip to Liverpool on Sunday. A victory for the Reds will see them crowned Premier League champions as they need just three more points.

Postecoglou has admitted it will be a balancing act for Tottenham when it comes to team selection. They want to take momentum and rhythm into the Bodo/ Glimt game but do not want to suffer any injuries against Liverpool.

The Australian said via NBC Sports: “It’s a bit of a balancing act and we have to be smart about what we do. We have to be ready for Thursday in a week with our players healthy. Good test against Liverpool obviously. If we play like we did today but keep our concentrations level where we should, then we can give them a game.”

Liverpool earned a 1-0 win over Leicester City to stay 13 points clear of Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

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Liverpool have moved within three points of claiming the Premier League title after a 1-0 victory at Leicester City.

Trent Alexander-Arnold returned from injury to score a 76th-minute winner from the bench at the King Power Stadium. The Reds missed a plethora of chances throughout the encounter before Alexander-Arnold’s intervention.

Heading into the afternoon, there had been a chance for Liverpool to wrap up the English championship at Leicester. They needed Arsenal to lose at Ipswich Town - but the Gunners delivered a 4-0 triumph.

Arne Slot’s men remain 13 points above Arsenal with five games remaining. A victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday 27 April at Anfield will mean they have claimed a record-equalling 20th title. Kopites will not have any other plans on the day.

But before Spurs’ visit to L4, there is a possibility of Liverpool claiming the gong. That is because Arsenal face Crystal Palace on Wednesday night, with the fixture rearranged as the Eagles face Aston Villa in the FA Cup semi-final at the weekend.

The cup encounter will likely be Palace’s priority but manager Oliver Glasner will hoping to upset Arsenal as his side eye a finish in the top half of the table. And if the Selhurst Park club are to earn a triumph at the Emirates Stadium, it will officially end Arsenal’s slim chances of clinching their first top-flight crown since 2004. Mikel Arteta’s outfit will only be able to accrue 12 points in their final four matches and, therefore, will not be able to catch Liverpool.

Slot on Premier League title hopes

On the possibility of claiming the title against Tottenham in his first season as Reds boss, Slot said: "We're all looking forward to that game. Always when we play at home, we look forward to it. But we've already played Tottenham a few times and we know they can make it very difficult for us.

"They're a good team, they have all their injured players back, they're still playing for something in Europe as well. But I'm looking forward to it because I assume our fans will be loud on Sunday."

On the game, the Liverpool boss said: "I think we created two very big chances in the first five minutes, in the first 15-20 minutes of the second half we created chance after chance, in my opinion.

"Since I've been here I don't think we played a game where we've had so many big chances and didn't score one of them. In the end we needed a set piece to score, which wasn't a big chance, but a great finish from Trent."

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Everton are reportedly keen on Sunderland starlet Chris Rigg.

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Everton are one of several clubs chasing the signature of a Championship starlet.

The Toffees have a significant summer transfer window ahead. David Moyes is expected a major squad overhaul, with 11 members of the current dressing room out of contract.

Everton’s financial position has been strengthened markedly after the takeover of The Friedkin Group, while their position when it comes to meeting Premier League profit and sustainability rules has also improved vastly.

According to The i Paper, the Blues are in pursuit of Sunderland midfielder Chris Rigg. The 17-year-old has been at the fulcrum of the Black Cats’ Premier League promotion push. He has made 40 appearances and scored four goals as Sunderland sit fourth in the Championship table.

Should the Stadium of Light outfit fail to return to the top flight for the first time since 2017, they will have a battle to keep Rigg. It is suggested he would cost more than the £30 million that Tottenham Hotspur paid for Archie Gray from Leeds United last summer.

Given his tender age, it is no surprise that Rigg is in high demand. It is suggested that Spurs, Manchester United, Liverpool, West Ham United, Newcastle United and Crystal Palace have all kept close tabs on Rigg. He is under contract on Wearside until 2027. It is reported that Sunderland have still to have a bid lodged but they will be ‘inevitable’ when the season is over.

Will Everton sign Chris Rigg?

One thing is certain - a big summer is approaching. Moyes has made it clear that he wants Everton to return to where he believes the club belongs and that is challenging for the European places. Given he has engineered the Toffees out of a Premier League battle, picking up 21 points in 12 games, he will want to continue the momentum.

Midfield is an area that the Toffees may well aim to bolster. As things stand, Idrissa Gana Gueye and Abdoulaye Doucoure are both out of contract, It is feasible that both could stay but another option could be on the agenda. Everton have been slightly short since Orel Mangala, on loan from Lyon, suffered a season-ending ACL injury in January.

Moyes did make good use of the Championship market during his first spell as Everton manager. The likes of Tim Cahill, Joleen Lescott and Phil Jagielka were all recruited from the second tier and went on to have outstanding careers at Goodison Park.

But the one caveat to Rigg may be his price tag. While Everton are expected to have money to spend, they will not have a free rein and still have to be guided by profit and sustainability rules.

In addition, several positions will need to be improved so money available must be spend accordingly . It is likely that a new striker will be on the agenda, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin out of contract while Armando Broja’s loan from Chelsea will expire. Wingers Jack Harrison (Leeds United) and Jesper Lindstrom (Napoli) will also return to their respective parent clubs.

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Robbie Fowler has suggested who could replace Virgil van Dijk in the long run for Liverpool.

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Robbie Fowler has suggested a Premier League star who he feels Liverpool should be targeting this summer. As the transfer window approaches, the Reds have a lot on their plate to deal with, including the potential departure of key players.

Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold are all just weeks away from becoming free agents. The latter has been in long-standing talks with Real Madrid and is looking increasingly likely to make the switch to Spain at the end of the season.

As for the other two, they are reportedly on the cusp of penning new deals at Anfield. New reports have claimed Van Dijk and Salah are ‘closing in’ on a two-year contract extension each.

As both players are due to turn 34 and 33 respectively this year, Liverpool are still on the market for long-term replacements.

Robbie Fowler suggests Van Dijk replacement who ‘would look right’ in a Liverpool shirt

It will be no easy feat to replace either of the two influential players but the duo are now approaching the ends of their careers.

Robbie Fowler has weighed in on Liverpool’s need to strengthen multiple positions in the squad, especially with them likely to finish the season as Premier League champions.

If Van Dijk does sign for two more years, he will be nearing his 36th birthday at the end of his extension. Fowler has outlined Tottenham Hotspur’s Micky van de Ven as someone his former side should be looking to sign.

“I'm the sort of fan that thinks if you're not out there signing good players then you're slipping behind the competition and are slipping backwards. If you're not doing that and improving the squad you can plateau,” the Anfield legend said via the Liverpool Echo.

“When it comes to Micky van de Ven, he's a very very good player despite having his injury problems. I think he is strong, fast and I think he would look right in a Liverpool shirt. I know Tottenham fans won't want to hear that but it's a compliment to him as a player that I think the league leaders should have a look at him.”

Will Micky van de Ven stay at Spurs?

Van de Ven is a valued member of Tottenham’s squad but he has been dealt numerous injury setbacks over the years. The centre-back has had ongoing hamstring problems throughout the last two seasons but he is still regarded as a key part of the Spurs machine.

Last May, Garth Crooks compared Van de Ven to Arsenal’s William Saliba but raised concerns that if Spurs do not challenge for trophies, he could be looking to ply his trade elsewhere.

“Van de Ven is to Spurs what Saliba is to Arsenal, and that is irreplaceable at the moment. Quite apart from his pace and composure, he takes his goals like an experienced striker,” Crooks wrote in a BBC Sport column.

“The problem both Van de Ven and Saliba have is they are outstanding young defenders who are not currently winning any trophies, and should that continue, they won't be at either club for very much longer.”

Van den Ven is under contract with Tottenham until 2029, so the club are in no position to feel pressured into a sale. Football Insider reported back in February that Liverpool had expressed their interest in the 23-year-old, as he is ‘hugely rated’ by fellow Dutchman and Reds boss Arne Slot.

The report claims that Van den Ven is viewed as someone who can play at ‘elite Champions League level’ by Liverpool, and the club feel he is capable of partnering Van Dijk.

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Liverpool had a quiet January transfer window

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Liverpool didn’t end up signing anyone in January. Arne Slot’s side didn’t rush into any deals and have stuck with what they already have at their disposal.

The Reds have had an impressive season to date as they eye the Premier League title. They are sat at the top fo the table.

Slot was picked as their replacement for Jurgen Klopp last year. He has since adapted well to life in England after catching the eye in Holland.

Liverpool eye David Hancko

Liverpool have identified Feyenood defender David Hancko as a ‘target’ ahead of the summer, according to CaughtOffside. Fellow top flight sides Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have also been mentioned as potential suitors.

Hancko, 27, could be seen by the Reds as someone to boost their defensive ranks. He can play as either a centre-back or full-back.

He joined Feyenoord back in 2022 and is a player who Slot knows well. The Slovakia international has been a key player for the Eredivisie outfit over recent times and has made 121 appearances in all competitions, 28 of which have come this season, and he has chipped in with 14 goals.

Hancko has been on the books of Zilina, Fiorentina and Sparta Prague in the past. His current could face a battle to keep hold of him in the future with Liverpool linked along with rivals Chelsea and Spurs.

The Reds have the chance to freshen up their ranks when the next window opens. Their recruitment has been very shrewd over recent times and their transfers team works hard behind the scenes to bring in the right type of players and characters to suit their culture.

What now for Liverpool?

Liverpool are back in action on Wednesday with a derby clash against Everton. They are six points clear of Arsenal with a game in hand and will be full of confidence at the moment as they look to keep their momentum going.

The Reds have a Carabao Cup final against Newcastle United to look forward. Following their semi-final win over Tottenham Hotspur, Slot said: “Our performance today was something that pleased me most. Reaching a final should always be special, even for this club.

“This club is used to playing finals, but still then we are working very hard every single day to try to improve players – and the players want to improve themselves every single day – but we are also in this business to play finals. We already know how difficult the final is going to be because we faced Newcastle already and they were very impressive yesterday as well. But, [there are] many games to be played before this final and this is where our focus should be at.”

Liverpool team to face Tottenham Hotspur oi the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.

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Liverpool have made four changes as they face Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg.

The Reds need to overturn a 1-0 defeat from the first clash in North London if they are to reach Wembley.

However, there is no Alisson Becker in the squad. The goalkeeper does not feature so Caoimhin Kelleher - who was the designated stopper when Liverpool won the Carabao Cup last season and in 2022 under Jurgen Klopp - is between the posts. Viteslav Jaros provides cover on the bench.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is ruled out with injury as expected to Conor Bradley comes in at right-back. Meanwhile, Curtis Jones replaces Alexis Mac Allister in the engine room and Darwin Nunez spearheads the attack in the place of Luis Diaz.

Liverpool: Kelleher, Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah, Nunez, Gakpo

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The 17-year-old attracted interest from clubs in the Premier League and Europe.

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A teenage prospect linked with a swathe of clubs has made a decision over his future.

Mason Melia is regarded as the hottest prospect in the Republic of Ireland. The 17-year-old forward currently plays for St Patrick’s Athletic and is already a first-team regular. He was handed his debut aged 15 years and 132 days old when scoring off the bench against Wexford in February 2023. He has made a total of 54 appearances for St Pat’s netting 10 goals and played in the Dublin-based side’s Europa Conference League qualifiers in the summer. He is also the youngest player to have won the FAI Cup.

It has been no surprise that Melia has attracted interest aplenty. Everton were one of the clubs who were reportedly keen on prising the youngster from the Emerald Isle to Goodison Park along with Manchester City, Chelsea, Celtic and Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen.

However, Tottenham Hotspur have won the race. Melia has agreed to join Spurs in January 2026. He cannot move to North London until he turns 18 because of post-Brexit rules. Tottenham have reportedly paid €2 million although that fee could rise to €4 million and they have a 20 per cent sell-on clause. That is a record fee for a League of Ireland player.

Irish recruitment

Everton have used the Irish market to their advantage on several occasions. Most famously, the Toffees recruited Seamus Coleman from Sligo Rover for just £60,000 in 2009. The right-back has etched himself into Goodison folklore, making 426 appearances and scoring 28 goals, and is the current club captain. Last month, Coleman took the team alongside Leighton Baines for a 2-0 FA Cup win over Peterborough United after Sean Dyche was sacked as manager.

Shane Duffy moved to Everton a year earlier and while he made only 10 appearances, the centre-back went on to be a Premier League regular at Brighton & Hove Albion and still plays for Championship side Norwich City.

Last summer, Everton fended off competition to bring Braiden Graham to Merseyside. The forward became Linfield’s youngest player when he made his bow aged 15 years and 137 days in November 2023 and scored his first goal the following month after turning 16.

Graham has made an eye-catching impression since moving to the Blues. In November, when he turned 17, he was rewarded with a professional contract as he penned a three-year deal. The Northern Ireland youth international has fired seven goals in 14 times for Everton under-18s this season.

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Liverpool team predicted to face Tottenham in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at Anfield.

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Arne Slot will make at least one change as Liverpool look to book their spot at Wembley yet again.

The Reds welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg. They trail 1-0 on aggregate from the opening meeting in North London but are still favourites to go through and face Newcastle United in the showpiece fixture in the capital next month. Liverpool are top of the Premier League by six points while Spurs languish in 14th, having been hit by injury issues aplenty this season.

Liverpool are the holders of the competition and have won it for a record 10 times. It represents a chance for Slot to yield silverware for the first time since succeeding Jurgen Klopp in the hot seat last summer.

Slot has the luxury of 24 players being available, with only Trent Alexander-Arnold out injured, so will have to make squad omissions. He’ll also be weighing up his starting XI and whether to make tweaks from last Saturday’s 2-0 win at AFC Bournemouth.

Ahead of the Tottenham game, here’s the Liverpool team predicted.

Goalkeeper - Alisson Becker

Caoimhin Kelleher was the designated Carabao Cup goalkeeper under Klopp - helping Liverpool win the competition twice. But Alisson played in the first leg against Tottenham as Slot wanted the No.1 to build rhythm. With Kelleher featuring in last week’s Champions League loss at PSV Eindhoven and an FA Cup tie at Plymouth approaching, Slot could make another bold decision and hand Alisson the gloves.

RB - Conor Bradley

Alexander-Arnold’s absence means that Bradley is set to make a start. He played in both semi-finals against Fulham last term and the victory over Chelsea at Wembley so is used to the big occasion.

CB - Ibrahima Konate

Started to find some momentum after recovering from a knee injury. The fact that Liverpool face Plymouth in the FA Cup at the weekend means Konate can be rested.

CB - Virgil van Dijk

There is not a defender in better form this term and the Reds’ captain would relish lifting another trophy aloft.

LB - Andy Robertson

It’s a close call for the position this season. However, Robertson remains just ahead in the pecking order and while he’s not been at his very best at times, he was assured at Bournemouth.

CM - Ryan Gravenberch

The Netherlands international needs little introduction. He has been imperious this season. The midfield battle could be important in the game as it’s an area where Tottenham do have options.

CM - Alexis Mac Allister

The former Brighton man has been one of Liverpool’s most consistent players this season although he must keep his discipline, with some feeling he might have been fortunate not to have picked up a second yellow card at Bournemouth.

CM - Dominik Szoboszlai

Curtis Jones came off the bench to make a difference at Bournemouth, assisting the second goal, but Szoboszlai’s energy and pressing is crucial in the No.10 role.

RW - Mo Salah

How Liverpool’s talisman would relish being the man to take his side back to Wembley. You’d scarcely bet against it.

ST - Luis Diaz

Not a conventional number nine but Diaz’s movement causes plenty of problems and it means Darwin Nunez will have to wait for his next chance.

LW - Cody Gakpo

Become a fans’ favourite this season given his prolific form and will aim to put Tottenham on the back foot as much as possible.

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Liverpool team news ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield.

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It's a decision that Arne Slot has admitted will be the most difficult.

It's not who features at left-back between Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas as Liverpool aim to reach Wembley yet again. Nor is it whether Caoimhin Kelleher has to sit out in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg despite helping the Reds win the competition twice in the past three seasons.

As Liverpool aim to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Tottenham Hotspur, Slot's most challenging call for Slot will instead be who has to watch the showdown knowing they will play no part on the night.

Slot’s stance

Trent Alexander-Arnold is the only squad member set to be unavailable because of injury. Even his issue isn't serious, with the Reds vice-captain already in individual training after coming off in last weekend's 2-0 win at Bournemouth.

As a result, Liverpool have 23 senior players in contention to face Spurs - and can select just 20. Nine substitutes are permitted like in the Premier League and FA Cup, although Slot would like to see the rule be brought in line with UEFA.

"I don't understand why we don't go to 23 in this country because this country plays the most games everywhere around the world and we only have 20 players that we can take to the games," said head coach Slot at his pre-match press conference.

"Since it is the rule over here that is probably going to be the most difficult decision I have to make – not the first XI, but to leave someone out that worked so hard on a daily basis, that wants to be involved in the game as well. Not even taking him to the game, that's the hardest decision for me to make."

Decisions to make

In truth, it is a luxury for Slot to have so many players available. How Spurs counterpart Ange Postecoglou will envy the Liverpool chief's situation given the lengthy injury list on North London.

To start, third-choice goalkeeper Viteslav Jaros will be surplus to requirements. The Czech-born stopper impressed when he was given a chance in the Carabao Cup fourth-round win at Brighton.

Tyler Morton is another who will already be expecting to be uninvolved. The midfielder has played only five times this season, with three coming in the competition. Morton was linked with a deadline-day exit to Middlesbrough but their offer fell well short. And while James McConnell was kept at Anfield to provide cover and competition, having attracted loan interest from the second tier, he’s also likely to miss out.

The other decision Slot makes will be intriguing. Surveying the options, it is between three players - Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and Federico Chiesa. Both Gomez and Chiesa were omitted from the squad against Bournemouth. Gomez has recovered from a hamstring injury while Chiesa playing his first 90 minutes in the 3-2 loss to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League last week.

Gomez is capable of playing at right-back so could be the natural replacement for Alexander-Arnold. But with Liverpool needing to turn around the tie, Slot could look to load up his forward players so Chiesa could be recalled. There is the possibility of leaving out Quansah, though. Gomez can cover both the right-hand side of defence and centrally. It would be harsh on Quansah, however, considering he has started all four Carabao Cup games so far.

Slot will take no relish from having to inform the unlucky players who will not feature. Not one bit. But it is part and parcel of being a manager.