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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu has been handed a major injury blow ahead of the crucial Premier League clash with rivals Arsenal.

On Wednesday, Spurs will travel to the Emirates to face their local rivals Arsenal in an eagerly-anticipated North London derby.

Although Arsenal remain favourites for the match, Postecoglu will hope that his side can capitalise on back-to-back wins in domestic cup competitions, including the 1-0 win over Liverpool.

However, just one day before the crucial game, the Australian manager has confirmed that he will have to do without one player who featured in both matches.

Speaking in a press conference before Wednesday's match, Postecoglu confirmed that forward Timo Werner will be absent after picking up a hamstring injury during Sunday's 3-0 win over Tamworth in the FA Cup.

"The only one who picked up an injury was Timo," Postecoglu revealed on Tuesday.

"He picked up a hamstring injury. We're just waiting on the results for that scan."

Although the extent Werner's injury are not yet known, it is likely that the winger will miss several matches in the coming weeks or months.

The 28-year-old joins Tottenham's extensive list of injuries, including Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur and Wilson Odobert on the sidelines.

However, Postecoglu also confirmed that Brazilian striker Richarlison will be available to feature for the first time since sustaining a hamstring injury in the match against Aston Villa in November.

Confirming the news, the Spurs boss added: "In terms of incomings, Richy is available.

“We've taken our time with him for sure. He's been harassing me for the last 10 days to be involved. He's looked really good in training."

Meanwhile Arsenal will also be without several key players for the clash including Gabriel Jesus, who has to be stretchered off during the FA Cup victory over Manchester United after suffering an ACL injury.

"We need to review one more specialist. I don't want to confirm anything until we have the final report this afternoon," said Gunner boss Mikel Arteta on Tuesday morning.

"It's the doctor's job to do that. But we were very worried after the game and we are very worried today."

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou has given an update on Rodrigo Bentancur after the midfielder collapsed during Liverpool clash.

Bentancur was substituted in the first half of Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, as he appeared to knock himself unconcious following a corner.

The Uruguayan was stretchered off the field and replaced by Brennan Johnson after being deemed unfit to carry on.

Bentancur received treatment on the pitch for around 10 minutes, and while it was confirmed he was conscious following his withdrawal he was taken to hospital for 'further observations'.

Spurs went on to win the opening leg 1-0 thanks to a brilliantly taken goal from Lucas Bergvall, and will now look to finish the job at Anfield next month.

Ange provides Bentancur update

Ahead of their FA Cup tie with Tamworth, Postecoglou provided an update on Bentancur's condition and when he can be expected to return to the side.

"It looks like a concussion but nothing more than that," Ange said.

"He was in the hospital, obviously, and they did all of the tests in terms of checking, making sure everything is okay.

"And all good. He is back home. He is fine. He is feeling good. We'll obviously follow the protocols now. I think it is a couple of weeks where you have to make sure everything is okay."

Bentancur himself sent a message to supporters following the game, thanking them for their support as well as congratulating his side on the win

He wrote on Instagram: "All good, guys. Thank you for the messages. Congratulations for the victory boys!!!"

Bentancur has scored twice in the Premier League this season across nine starts after starting the season injured.

The 27-year-old is a key man for Spurs, and Postecoglou will probably be glad his side are only facing a side placed 16th in the National League this weekend.

Ange Postecoglou provided an update on Rodrigo Bentancur's injury after the midfielder was stretchered off during last night's Carabao Cup semi-final clash between Liverpool and Spurs.

In the seventh minute of Wednesday's game, Bentancur made an attempt to head the ball towards goal after a corner was swung in but moments later, he missed and landed face-first on the ground.

The 27-year-old required extensive treatment and, after medics worked on the pitch for nine minutes, Bentancur was stretchered off the field and taken down the tunnel.

It later emerged that Bentancur was conscious, talking and would make the trip to hospital for further checks.

Speaking in his post-match interview, Postecoglou provided a brief update on Bentancur's condition.

"There's nothing too detailed (at this stage). He was conscious when he came off the field and he’s been taken to hospital for some observations so we’re hoping he’ll be okay," he said.

"It was pretty distressing at the time, seeing him go down like that, for the players. Dealing with adversity, these players just compose themselves and responded to it really well."

Later on, in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou suggested that Bentancur picked up "some sort of head injury" during Wednesday night's game.

Bentancur also suffered a head injury in August last year following a clash of heads with Leicester winger Abdul Fatawu.

"I don't want to speculate. It was some sort of head injury," Postecoglou added. "It was bad enough for his teammates to worry about him."

Spurs teammate Pedro Pedro immediately alerted referee Stuart Attwell about the incident and signalled for medics to enter the pitch as Sky Sports cameras cut away from the worrying scene.

Shortly after midnight, Bentancur posted a health update as he sat alongside long-term partner Melany La Banca.

Taking to his Instagram story, the 27-year-old midfielder wrote: "All good, guys! Thank you for the messages!!! Congratulations for the victory boys!!!"

Bentancur, who recently returned to action after serving a seven-match ban, has made 19 appearances for Spurs so far this season, scoring once.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has backed referee Stuart Attwell over his controversial decision to not send off Lucas Bergvall against Liverpool.

Attwell made history at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, becoming the first referee in England to make an announcement to the crowd to explain a VAR decision after Dominic Solanke’s strike was ruled out for a tight offside in the second-half.

Just minutes later, Bergvall, who had been booked earlier, clattered into Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas but play continued with Arne Slot’s side on the counter-attack. The move did not result in a goal and Bergvall was NOT dismissed despite the protests of the Liverpool players.

With Tsimikas off the field for treatment, Spurs scored the only goal of the game to snatch victory with Bergvall netting his first of the season.

Slot was booked for his protests on the sideline in what was only his second defeat since replacing Jurgen Klopp in the dugout.

Spurs boss Postecoglou was asked about the decision in his post-match interview and claimed Bergvall was not lucky to still be on the pitch to score the winner.

"Great question. He wasn't. No he wasn't,” he told Sky Sports.

"Because people misinterpret my comments from the other day, the rule is and we've been told for quite a while now, as long as advantage gets played, if it's not a cynical tackle then the yellow card doesn't [come out].

"We've been screaming for it for the last two months, it's happened to us consistently, have a look at our games. We've asked the officials.

“If you play advantage, as long as it's not a cynical tackle, then the yellow card doesn't get paid. To me, that was pretty clear."

Postecoglou expanded on his comments in depth during his post-match press conference and took a huge swipe at the state of English football and the desire to constantly change the game.

He described English people as ‘custodians of the game’ and questioned how technology was being allowed to shape the modern game.

“I’m really surprised at how people in this country are so easily letting the game change so much so quickly,” said Postecoglou. “It’s changed more since VAR has come in since I’ve been involved than in the past 50 years. We never used to debate offsides, we never used to debate handballs, we never used to debate holding in the box, we never used to debate so many things.

“I mean, did everyone really love the announcement today? Did that give you a real buzz? I mean, seriously. My understanding of it is, this is what the people want. That’s what I keep getting told.

“I understand that and I understand that VAR is going to be there. Technology is going to be a part of life, but it’s like my wife and our kids. We know technology but she limits their screen time. Why? You know, to slow things down, I think.

“We’ve just got to be careful about constantly… why do we want to change the game so much? And I know I’m going to be the old bloke in the stands that keeps shouting ‘boo’ every time and I’ll be the only one, but I just thought people would be a little bit more protective about the sanctity of the game.

“I think there’s a lot of confusion at the moment. That’s my belief, that the game is changing on the basis of technology, and I’m saying, ‘Why isn’t anyone speaking up about it?’ Especially in this country who, for all intents and purposes, you guys think you’re custodians of the game, you’ve got a song that says. ‘It’s coming home’.

“This is your game, and yet it takes an Aussie from the other side of the world to be the one that’s most conservative about changes. I’m happy to just be the lone voice of saying, ‘Just leave the game alone for a bit’.

“Even extra time now, minutes added on, minutes added on here, we never used to talk about these things before. Yet now everything is changing, so that was my [point]. So today, I can see why Arne [Slot] would be very disappointed [with the Bergvall decision]. If that was me, I’d be disappointed as well, but apparently they’re the rules.”

Rodrigo Bentancur has posted a health update after he was taken to hospital during Spurs' Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Liverpool.

The Uruguayan midfielder, who had only recently returned to action after serving a seven-match ban, required extensive treatment after going down inside the penalty box following an attempted diving header.

Moments later, Spurs teammate Pedro Pedro alerted the referee and signalled for medics to enter the pitch as Sky Sports cameras cut away from the concerning incident.

After medics worked on the pitch for nine minutes, Bentancur was stretchered off the field and taken down the tunnel, with supporters from all corners of the ground standing to applaud him.

The broadcaster then released an update at half-time, with Mark Chapman telling viewers: "The latest we have on Bentancur after that awful looking injury in the first half is that when he was stretchered off the doctors accompanied him to the dressing room and he is still in there with the doctors. That is the only update that we have.”

It later emerged that Bentancur was conscious, talking and would make the trip to hospital for further checks.

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou provided a further update after the full-time whistle.

"There's nothing too detailed (at this stage). He was conscious when he came off the field and he’s been taken to hospital for some observations so we’re hoping he’ll be okay," he said.

"It was pretty distressing at the time, seeing him go down like that, for the players. Dealing with adversity, these players just compose themselves and responded to it really well."

In his post-match press conference, Postecoglou added on the incident: "I don't want to speculate. It was some sort of head injury. It was bad enough for his teammates to worry about him."

Shortly after midnight, Bentancur himself posted a health update as he sat alongside long-term partner Melany La Banca.

Taking to his Instagram story, the 27-year-old midfielder said: "All good, guys! Thank you for the messages!!! Congratulations for the victory boys!!!"

Postecoglou mentioned Bentancur as he praised his team for securing a 1-0 win over Premier League leaders Liverpool.

"We are having to deal with adversity all the time," he added. "We started really well and then lost a key player. This lot are nothing if not resilient and they keep going and they did today.

"It is incredible when you think we had a couple of 18-year-olds out there. I have just seen so much growth. I have no doubt we will get through this period and get players back, what I've found in the meantime is we have some real players to help us to be the team we want to be."

Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky was visibly emotional after making his much-anticipated debut for the club in their Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Liverpool.

The 21-year-old, who joined from Slavia Prague on Sunday for a reported £12.5 million, was thrown into the deep end as Ange Postecoglou's side came up against league leaders Liverpool.

But he marked the occasion with a clean sheet and six saves as Spurs secured a one-goal advantage coming into the second leg on February 6 thanks to a controversial winner from Lucas Bergvall.

After the full-time whistle on Wednesday night, an emotional Kinsky ran straight over to the crowd to embrace his sister, who travelled to the game alongside their family.

"[I was hugging] my sister. Yesterday, I got to know that there was a possibility I was going to be playing," he told Sky Sports in his post-match interview. "I called and they came, my sister, her boyfriend and my parents."

Kinsky added: "It was so nice to have them here for this. I hope my dad is proud."

The goalkeeper, who is said to have attracted interest from Newcastle United, Brighton and Celtic, went on to describe it as the best night of his life.

"I'm a big dreamer," he added. "I make my own vision of the future. This dream, I had never dreamt this one. I'm so happy, I came three days ago and everyone is so nice."

Many praised his debut performance for the Lilywhites, including Spurs striker Dominic Solanke.

"He looked like a natural out there, like he's been playing and training with us for years," he said. "Especially at his age, to come in and have the impact he did so soon, it's a big credit to him.

"To have him at the club now is great for us. We're going to need him, we have a lot of big games coming up."

Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou was another to hand out praise for the young shot-stopper.

"We sensed his confidence when we first spoke to him," he said. "That is a big occasion for a young lad and he handled himself outstandingly."

Thoughts on Kinsky's performance against Liverpool? Let us know in the comments.

The first ever VAR decision stadium announcement took place in Spurs vs Liverpool but fans all had the same view after seeing the historic moment.

It was confirmed that for the Carabao Cup semi-finals, a trial would be held in which referees would address fans in the stadium to explain a VAR decision.

After seeing it in many other leagues, there has been huge demand for it to be brought into English football and Stuart Attwell became the official who was tasked with doing so at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs striker Dominic Solanke thought he would put the hosts ahead against his former side but replays showed there was an incredibly tight offside call.

VAR confirmed that Solanke had just strayed ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold but then Attwell had to announce the decision over the tannoy.

The 42-year-old said: "After review, Dominic Solanke was in an offside position in the build-up to the goal, therefore the decision is offside."

The announcement was loudly booed by the home fans and though some supporters welcomed the extra bit of information given those in attendance didn't get to see a replay, plenty felt it was pointless.

One wrote: "Completely meaningless that explanation from Stuart Attwell btw, at least if you're just watching on TV."

A second agreed: "Yep, having the referee announce his decisions was exactly as pointlessly s*** as I expected. At least I know what Stuart Attwell sounds like now."

A third added: "Thoroughly enjoyed Stuart Attwell's announcement. Not sure it was necessary in any way, of course."

A fourth said: "That VAR thing where the referee talks to the crowd is one of the most pointless things I’ve ever seen. Everyone knows it’s offside that’s being checked."

A final user commented: "It's hilarious how pointless the referee announcing the VAR decisions is. Does nothing to solve the problems, but gives people another reason to hate referees."

Spurs responded immediately after the goal was chalked off, with Solanke setting up 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall, who scored the winner with his first goal for the club. However, Liverpool were furious as they felt the Swede should have been sent off after he made a late challenge when on a booking.

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A Spurs mascot completely violated his own team with a cheeky but savage remark to Liverpool skipper Virgil van Dijk in the tunnel.

Spurs host Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday night, hoping to avoid a repeat of the 6-3 hammering they suffered in the Premier League fixture just before Christmas.

Ange Postecoglou's side have not won since their 4-3 Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Manchester United and with a flurry of injuries, have been leaking goals galore.

Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray have served as the regular pairing because of the sheer amount of defensive absentees and have been targeted by opposition teams on many an occasion.

Before the game, a Spurs mascot rinsed Spurs' defenders when Van Dijk came back from his warm-up at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The youngster all had their hands out waiting for the Dutchman and in footage captured by Sky Sports, told him, "Van Dijk come to Tottenham we haven't got any good defenders at the moment!".

The former Southampton man had a big smile as he headed back to the away dressing room, while Mark Chapman and the Sky Sports were in hysterics about the extremely honest comment.

Salah would struggle in current Spurs side

Currently 12th in the Premier League Spurs went into the semi-final having lost three of their last four games. Their form has been nothing short of wretched and Postecoglou believes even Mo Salah, easily the best player in the league this season, wouldn't be able to replicate his levels in a Spurs shirt.

"Mo is a world-class player, but if you put him in our team now I'm not sure he'll have that same level of performance because of the situation we're in as a group," Postecoglou said.

"His attacking play, who do you need? You need a team that's kind of in good form, creating opportunities, playing on the front foot, having a really solid foundation of a defence that is cohesive. None of these things exist at the moment."

The Carabao Cup semi-finals will be shown on a 'new' broadcaster as a major new television deal has been announced.

On Tuesday, the semi-finals of this season's Carabao Cup get underway as four clubs are set to face off in an attempt to book their place in the final at Wembley Stadium in March.

Arsenal will welcome Newcastle United to the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday for the first leg of their semi-final, while Liverpool will travel to the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Wednesday.

The broadcast details of both matches have been confirmed for both matches ahead of kick-off, and it will surprise some fans.

While both legs of the two semi-final ties will be shown on Sky Sports, ITV will also be simultaneously broadcasting the semi-final match between Arsenal and Newcastle United on Tuesday.

Details of the deal were announced last year as the two broadcasters agreed to show several matches simultaneously as part of a deal to give all UK football fans the chance to watch more matches on free-to-air coverage.

The Carabao Cup semi-final this month will be the first of several matches in the competition that will be shown on ITV until the end of the 2026/27 season, with at least nine Carabao Cup matches in total being shown.

This includes the final in March, as well as several matches across the earlier rounds.

As part of the deal, ITV will also simulcast 10 matches from the EFL Championship in each full season, and five matches during the second half of the current season

Speaking about the deal, Niall Sloane, ITV Director of Sport said: “This deal brings viewers free to air coverage of top level knockout football over the coming years, as well as standout matches from the EFL, adding regular live matches to our highlights shows.

"We’re looking forward to bringing fans some superb action and insight from this new, fuller EFL package across the next few seasons.”