Sports Mole

Two fallen titans of the English game butt heads in Sunday's Premier League main event, as Tottenham Hotspur welcome Ruben Amorim's Manchester United to their North London home.

Victory for the Lilywhites would enable them to leapfrog their equally lowly opponents in the bottom half of the Premier League table, although neither can consider themselves to be completely clear of the relegation picture just yet.

Match preview

Flash back to just after September's North London derby to Arsenal, where a bullish Ange Postecoglou remarked that he "always" wins trophies in his second year in a job, a bold claim which his managerial history does indeed back up.

However, in the space of just four days earlier this month, the Australian's bid to fulfil that prophecy suffered two devastating blows, as an EFL Cup semi-final collapse at the hands of Liverpool preceded another premature FA Cup exit, this time in the fourth round to Aston Villa.

A first slice of silverware since 2008 could still arrive in the form of the Europa League, though, and before their double dose of knockout heartache, Tottenham finally pulled themselves out of a Premier League rut away to London rivals Brentford.

Sinking the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium snapped Tottenham's abysmal four-game losing run and seven-game winless sequence in the top flight, where the goal now is to end an equally embarrassing run of form at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Indeed, Postecoglou's meek men have now gone over three months without winning a Premier League home game, drawing two and losing five of their last seven top-flight games in front of their own fans, despite finding the back of the net in all of them.

Only Everton have failed to score away from home against Tottenham in the 2024-25 Premier League season, but Postecoglou is yet to suffer the agony of defeat to Man United in the competition and could now become just the fourth manager - after Unai Emery, Ruud Gullit and Nuno Espirito Santo - to go unbeaten in his first four Premier League matches against the Red Devils.

Similarly to Sunday's hosts, Man United also made the net bulge in added time of their FA Cup fourth-round tie, but while Mathys Tel's effort for Tottenham was an uncontroversial consolation, Harry Maguire's for the Red Devils was a highly contentious clincher.

The former Leicester centre-back rose highest to nod home a free kick and propel Amorim's men to an extremely hard-fought 2-1 win, but had VAR been in operation for the fourth-round tie, his goal would have undoubtedly been ruled out for the clear offside offence missed by the linesman.

As Ruud van Nistelrooy raged about 'offside time' as opposed to the age-old 'Fergie time', the overjoyed Man United faithful revelled in their side's sixth victory from their last eight matches across all tournaments, a marked improvement for the former perennial champions as they also chase Europa League glory in the spring.

However, the 20-time English champions were yet again found wanting in their 2-0 top-flight home loss to Crystal Palace on February 2 - their seventh defeat from their last 11 Premier League matches - and Spurs have had their number twice this season already.

Before December's captivating 4-3 EFL Cup quarter-final triumph, Postecoglou's Tottenham were too hot for Erik ten Hag's Man United to handle in a 3-0 Old Trafford trouncing, meaning that they could now do the double over the Red Devils in the Premier League for the very first time.

Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Manchester United Premier League form:

Manchester United form (all competitions):

Team News

For the past several weeks, Postecoglou has been managing without a full team or close to a full team of injured troops, but at least two and potentially as many as four could return for the visit of Man United.

The Spurs boss confirmed on Friday that Guglielmo Vicario and Destiny Udogie are on track for their first appearances of 2025, while James Maddison and Brennan Johnson could also be back from calf problems. Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner are in training too, but their comebacks will have to wait.

However, Micky van de Ven (thigh), Cristian Romero (thigh), Dominic Solanke (knee) and Richarlison (calf) remain sidelined, while Radu Dragusin recently underwent successful surgery on his season-ending ACL problem.

Dragusin and Lisandro Martinez are now both on the mend from similar operations; the Man United defender reportedly underwent his earlier this week and will be one of six guaranteed absentees for the visitors in North London.

Luke Shaw (calf), Mason Mount (thigh), Jonny Evans (back), Tom Heaton (unspecified) and Altay Bayindir (unspecified) remain sidelined too, and Amorim also revealed in his pre-game press conference that he had another 'one or two issues' without naming names.

The cup success over Leicester saw new arrival Patrick Dorgu peculiarly make his debut on the right-hand side before being hooked at the break for Alejandro Garnacho, who will surely be rewarded for that game-changing cameo with a start on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Vicario; Porro, Gray, Danso, Spence; Sarr, Bissouma, Bergvall; Kulusevski, Tel, Son

Manchester United possible starting lineup:

Onana; De Ligt, Maguire, Yoro; Mazraoui, Ugarte, Fernandes, Dalot; Diallo, Garnacho; Zirkzee

We say: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Manchester United

Whether for or against Postecoglou's team, goals are almost always a guarantee at both ends of the field at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as both sides have scored in each of Spurs' last 10 Premier League home matches.

Ten should become 11 on a pleasing afternoon's work for Tottenham, who have a handful of key players coming back and still pack a punch up front, while Man United's unconvincing win over Leicester arguably just papered over the cracks.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has confirmed that Chido Obi has been training with the senior side this week.

The 17-year-old has been in outstanding form for the Red Devils this season, scoring 12 times in 12 appearances at Under-18s and Under-21s level, including seven goals in three matches in the FA Youth Cup.

Obi netted a hat trick against Chelsea Under-18s in the fifth round of the competition on Wednesday night, and he is viewed as one of the best young prospects in world football following his incredible exploits at Arsenal.

The teenager scored 32 goals in 18 appearances for Arsenal Under-18s last season, including 28 goals in his final nine appearances of the campaign, but he decided against signing a new contract with the Gunners.

Man United won the race for his services, and he has continued his excellent goalscoring exploits for his new club.

Amorim has revealed that the teenager has been training with the first team ahead of Sunday's Premier League clash against Tottenham Hotspur, hinting at a possible involvement in North London.

"I don't want to say names. We have to be careful on that. We have problems this week, we called some young players to be in our training. We have some data evaluation. He is one of them," said Amorim during Friday's press conference.

© Imago

Obi trains with Man United first team due to squad issues

Amorim revealed that there are currently some concerns ahead of the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, with the Red Devils potentially being without a couple of important players.

"Was a good week until two days ago, we had some problems, we don't have players back, maybe we have one or two issues, we are waiting. We have one player who is sick, we will see on the weekend," he told reporters.

Lisandro Martinez, Luke Shaw, Jonny Evans and Mason Mount are definitely unavailable for selection, and the fresh issues may open the door for some academy players to be included in the squad on Sunday.

© Imago

Will Obi be in the Man United squad against Spurs?

Amorim's decision not to name the players that are doubts for Sunday means that it is difficult to speculate, but if either Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee are impacted, then it would not be a surprise to see Obi make the trip to North London.

There is no getting away from the fact that both Hojlund and Zirkzee have struggled this season, and Amorim recently selected Kobbie Mainoo as a false nine against Crystal Palace in an attempt to find a solution in the final third.

Hojlund has seven goals in 31 appearances this season, while Zirkzee has five in 36, so it is difficult to ignore the numbers that Obi is producing, albeit at youth level.

Man United do not have much to lose in the league in the coming months, with the FA Cup and Europa League much more important in terms of their campaign, and now should be the time for Obi to be given some first-team exposure, particularly off the back of a stunning treble against Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup.

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Reeling from two cup exits in the space of four days, Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League duties against fellow fallen titans Manchester United in North London on Sunday afternoon.

After being slaughtered by Liverpool in the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final, Ange Postecoglou's men saw their hopes of FA Cup stardom crash and burn at Aston Villa, losing 2-1 in the fourth round last weekend.

However, Spurs did prevail in their last Premier League engagement - sinking Brentford 2-0 - and victory on Sunday would see them at least leapfrog the Red Devils in the bottom half of the top-flight standings.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up Tottenham's latest injury and suspension news ahead of the contest with Ruben Amorim's side, who controversially made it past Leicester City 2-1 in their FA Cup fourth-round tie.

Richarlison

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Calf

Possible return date: Unknown

Injury-prone attacker Richarlison came off with a calf injury at Anfield in the EFL Cup loss to Liverpool, and Postecoglou has not been able to give a definitive update on when the Brazilian might return.

Radu Dragusin

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: Unknown

Radu Dragusin announced on Tuesday that he had undergone successful surgery on the ACL problem he sustained against Elfsborg in the Europa League, and the Romanian is now beginning the long road to recovery.

Dominic Solanke

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Knee

Possible return date: February 22 (vs. Ipswich Town)

Dominic Solanke's knee injury is expected to keep him out of the crunch clash with Man United, but the ex-Bournemouth striker could be back in the ranks before the end of February.

Wilson Odobert

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: March 9 (vs. Bournemouth)

Wilson Odobert is not believed to be too far away from a long-awaited comeback from a severe hamstring injury, but it may be a few more weeks until the Frenchman is back in contention.

Guglielmo Vicario

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Ankle

Possible return date: February 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Kicking off the good news regarding Tottenham's injury situation, number one goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario - out with an ankle injury since November - is said to be one of a few players aiming to return to full training this week, with the hope of being available for selection this weekend.

James Maddison

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Calf

Possible return date: February 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Playmaker James Maddison is another one of those hopeful players, as the Englishman targets a return from the calf problem that has kept him out since the middle of January.

Brennan Johnson

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Calf

Possible return date: February 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Likewise, Brennan Johnson is pushing to come back from his own calf issue in time to face the Red Devils, thus offering Postecoglou an alternative attacking option.

Timo Werner

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: February 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Timo Werner is in exactly the same boat as Johnson, Vicario and Maddison, but the RB Leipzig loanee has lost Postecoglou's trust if him being left out of Tottenham's Europa League knockout squad is anything to go by.

Destiny Udogie

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: February 16 (vs. Manchester United)

Left-back Destiny Udogie is yet to make an appearance in 2025 due to a hamstring injury, but the Italy international might finally be in line for his first minutes of the new year on Sunday.

Cristian Romero

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Thigh

Possible return date: February 22 (vs. Ipswich Town)

In contrast, Cristian Romero's recovery from a thigh injury is a "slow burner", according to Postecoglou, and the Argentine is not expected to be given the green light to play on Sunday.

Micky van de Ven

© Imago

Status: Out

Type of injury: Fitness

Possible return date: Unknown

Micky van de Ven made his comeback from a thigh injury against Elfsborg in the Europa League but has since been out of the first-team picture as he returns to peak fitness, and it is currently unclear when he will be available for Premier League selection again.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR'S SUSPENSION LIST

Tottenham Hotspur have no suspended players for this match.

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An all-Premier League FA Cup fourth-round battle will be fought at Villa Park on Sunday evening, as Aston Villa pit their wits against an injury-hit Tottenham Hotspur.

The Lions eked out a 2-1 win over West Ham United in round three, while Spurs overcame non-league Tamworth 3-0 after extra time, and here Sports Mole rounds up the team news for both clubs.

ASTON VILLA vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

© Imago

ASTON VILLA

Out: Axel Disasi (cup-tied), Ollie Watkins (groin), Pau Torres (ankle), Matty Cash (unspecified), Tyrone Mings (knee), Ross Barkley (calf)

Doubtful: None

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Olsen; Garcia, Kamara, Konsa, Maatsen; Tielemans, Onana; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Malen

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Richarlison (calf), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Radu Dragusin (knee), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Dominic Solanke (knee), James Maddison (calf), Micky van de Ven (fitness), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Timo Werner (thigh), Brennan Johnson (calf)

Doubtful: None

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Bergvall; Kulusevski, Tel, Son

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match .

Already reeling from one dose of knockout heartache, Tottenham Hotspur could see another shot at silverware pass them by when they travel to the West Midlands for Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round date with Aston Villa.

Ange Postecoglou's sorry side were smashed 4-0 by Liverpool in Thursday's EFL Cup semi-final second leg, while the Lions have had a week to reflect on their 2-0 loss to near neighbours Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Match preview

© Imago

As some Spurs fans might have feared, a 1-0 first-leg win over Liverpool in the EFL Cup semi-finals was nowhere near enough, as Postecoglou's hopes of fulfilling his second-season trophy prophecy took another significant hit at Anfield in midweek.

Cody Gakpo's opener, Mohamed Salah's penalty, Dominik Szoboszlai's tidy finish and Virgil van Dijk's header completed a ruthless Liverpool turnaround and sent the Reds into the EFL Cup final at Spurs' expense, as the Lilywhites were subjected to a rude awakening after a rare positive in 2025.

Last weekend's 2-0 Premier League London derby win over Brentford ended Tottenham's terrible four-match losing run in the top flight, but a top-half place in the table remains out of reach for the time being, and they are still closer to the relegation zone than the European places points-wise.

There is an argument to be had that Tottenham's FA Cup third-round clash with Tamworth was just as pitiful as their loss to Liverpool in midweek; the final scoreline may have read 3-0, but Spurs were taken to extra time by their non-league opponents, who were not short of chances to pull off a major upset in the 90.

Nevertheless, the only fact that matters is that Postecoglou's men are in the fourth round of the FA Cup, and the North London outfit have won four of their last five matches at this stage of the competition, although their one loss in that sequence came in last year's edition to Manchester City.

© Imago

Hosts Aston Villa also left it late to punch their ticket to the FA Cup fourth round, albeit not extra-time late, as Amadou Onana and Morgan Rogers cancelled out a Lucas Paqueta opener in a 2-1 success over Graham Potter's West Ham United on January 10.

However, Unai Emery's men have picked up just two victories from their subsequent six matches across all competitions, and only one from their last five, although that 4-2 beating of Celtic was critical to their progression to the last 16 of the Champions League.

All season long, however, the Lions have been found wanting in their next Premier League game immediately after a Champions League match, and that worrying trend continued at Molineux, where Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and Matheus Cunha propelled Wolves to a 2-0 derby win.

The Lions have often counter-acted unsuccessful away days with pleasing home displays, though, as their unbeaten run at Villa Park now stands at 10 games in all competitions since October's EFL Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, although they are without a clean sheet in six on home soil.

Sticking with the theme of Aston Villa shipping goals, the Lions have conceded four in each of their last two matches with Tottenham - unsurprisingly losing both of them - but Emery's men won all three of their meetings in 2023 and will be under no illusions that they hold the favourites tag for this tie.

Aston Villa FA Cup form:

Aston Villa form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur FA Cup form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

As well as heading home with bruised egos, a decimated Tottenham side were dealt yet another injury blow on Thursday evening, where Richarlison sustained a calf injury and had to be withdrawn for new signing Mathys Tel at the end of the first half.

The luckless Richarlison is part of a full XI of absent players for the visitors, as Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Radu Dragusin (knee), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Dominic Solanke (knee), James Maddison (calf), Micky van de Ven (fitness), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Timo Werner (thigh) and Brennan Johnson (calf) have all been ruled out of Sunday's game by Postecoglou.

Unless Son Heung-min is moved to a central role and Mikey Moore comes into the XI, Postecoglou should promote Tel to the starting lineup as the Bayern Munich loanee makes his full debut, while Pedro Porro and Lucas Bergvall should provide some much-needed fresh legs too.

Villa could also offer a first start to a new attacking loanee, as Manchester United-owned Marcus Rashford did not feature for the Red Devils in their third-round win over Arsenal and is therefore eligible to feature on Sunday, but his lack of football in recent weeks means that a debut as a substitute is far more likely.

Marco Asensio is in line for a Villa baptism too, but fellow January signing Axel Disasi is indeed cup-tied, and Emery confirmed in his pre-game press conference that Ollie Watkins (groin), Pau Torres (ankle), Matty Cash (unspecified), Tyrone Mings (knee) and Ross Barkley (calf) are still unavailable.

Should Emery decide that Rashford needs more time before being thrown back into the spotlight, either Donyell Malen or Leon Bailey should fill the Watkins void up front, but Asensio has played in a central role for parent club Paris Saint-Germain and cannot be ruled out either.

Aston Villa possible starting lineup:

Olsen; Garcia, Kamara, Konsa, Maatsen; Tielemans, Onana; Rogers, McGinn, Ramsey; Malen

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Davies, Spence; Bissouma, Bentancur, Bergvall; Kulusevski, Tel, Son

We say: Aston Villa 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham may have won nine of their last 10 away matches against Aston Villa in all tournaments, but the history books should mean little on Sunday, where Postecoglou's men arrive fatigued, low on numbers and even lower on confidence.

As Emery's men have enjoyed a week off Champions League duties, the Lions have our vote to comfortably put Tottenham to the sword, leaving the Lilywhites with only the Europa League to fight for.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Liverpool welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Thursday night.

Spurs lead 1-0 from the first leg courtesy of Lucas Bergvall's last winner, but the hosts remain the favourites to turn the tie on its head and progress to the final at Wembley.

LIVERPOOL vs. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

LIVERPOOL

Out: Joe Gomez (hamstring)

Doubtful: Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

Out: Radu Dragusin (knee), Destiny Udogie (hamstring), Guglielmo Vicario (ankle), Brennan Johnson (calf), Wilson Odobert (hamstring), Timo Werner (hamstring), Cristian Romero (thigh), Dominic Solanke (knee)

Doubtful: Micky van de Ven (hamstring), Mathys Tel (work permit), Kevin Danso (work permit)

Sports Mole's predicted XI: Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match .

Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur reconvene for the second leg of their EFL Cup semi-final at Anfield on Thursday night, with the visitors coming into the clash with a 1-0 lead on aggregate.

Both sides will be full of confidence after hugely important 2-0 wins on the road over the weekend, having implications at both ends of the Premier League table.

Match preview

© Imago

Almost a month has passed since Lucas Bergvall fired home a late winner for Spurs in the first leg of this semi-final showdown, which was ultimately mired in controversy.

Just minutes before netting that all-important goal, Bergvall was fortunate not to receive a second yellow card for a late lunge on Kostas Tsimikas, but Liverpool and their manager Arne Slot would also have admitted that they were well below par all evening in North London.

Very few will look past Liverpool turning this tie on its head in the return leg this week though, and extend their record number of final appearances in this competition to 15.

Jurgen Klopp's final honour at Liverpool was the EFL Cup last season, notching Liverpool's 10th win in the competition, and the bookmakers still make them favourites to retain their crown, despite trailing from the first leg, and Newcastle United having one foot in the final from the other semi.

A win of two goals is required here, and since losing to Nottingham Forest back in September, Liverpool are unbeaten in 15 at home, scoring at least twice on each occasion, and winning 13.

It was on the road where the Reds sealed a crucial victory in their hunt for a second league title in 35 years though, winning 2-0 at in-form Bournemouth, who caused Slot's side numerous problems throughout the afternoon.

A double from the ever-reliable Mohamed Salah secured the victory though, and kept Liverpool six points clear at the top of the Premier League, just a few days after they finished on top of the inaugural league phase in the Champions League.

The next three fixtures for Liverpool will be vital in keeping their hopes alive of completing an unprecedented quadruple, with a trip to Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup coming up at the weekend after this one, before they go to Goodison Park for the rearranged Merseyside derby against Everton.

For Tottenham, they may not get a better chance to end their long wait for a trophy than this one for quite some time.

© Imago

Leading heading into the second leg, with the potential of facing Newcastle in the final, as opposed to the formidable Manchester City they lost to in the 2021 final, means manager Ange Postecoglou could well stick to his promise of winning a trophy by his second season at the club.

However, the last two times Spurs have played a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final, both were against Chelsea, and ended in defeat, including in 2019 when they led 1-0 heading into the second leg away from home.

Anfield has brought Spurs very little joy in recent years either, with no win at this venue since 2011, and just three draws in 14 since then, but that would be enough to see them through to a fourth final since they won the competition in 2008.

It has been a very good week for Postecoglou though, beating Brentford 2-0 in the league to move up from 16th to 14th, just a few days after sealing their place in the last 16 of the Europa League with a routine win over Elfsborg, with three youngsters getting on the scoresheet.

Another shutout at the weekend now means Spurs have kept four clean sheets in eight games, despite all of the criticism around Postecoglou's tactics and the injury crisis they are facing.

Two of those did come against Elfsborg and Tamworth, and while they looked hopeless defensively against Everton and Leicester City recently, keeping two of English football's strongest attacks out in the form of Liverpool and Brentford cannot be discredited.

Liverpool EFL Cup form:

Liverpool form (all competitions):

Tottenham Hotspur EFL Cup form:

Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):

Team News

© Imago

After being forced off with a thigh injury at Bournemouth on Saturday, Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold is more than likely going to miss this one, but initial fears were alleviated following a scan which revealed the issue is not as bad as first thought.

Recent returns for both Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones mean Joe Gomez is the only other injury absentee for the hosts at present, with Liverpool set to be close to full-strength here.

The other places up for grabs are at left back where Andy Robertson and Tsimikas will compete for a start, and in midfield between Jones and Dominik Szoboszlai to partner Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch.

While players continue to return and make huge strides in recoveries, Spurs have been hit with another huge blow after Radu Dragusin was ruled out for the season with the knee injury he sustained against Elfsborg last week.

Micky van de Ven returned in that Europa League outing, and was held back at the weekend in preparation for this one, so the Dutch defender should be ready to go alongside Ben Davies in defence.

Postecoglou has revealed he is confident Destiny Udogie, Guglielmo Vicario, Brennan Johnson, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner will all return in the next week or so, but for Cristian Romero and Dominic Solanke, their comebacks are a little further down the line.

Liverpool possible starting lineup:

Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Robertson; Mac Allister, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai; Salah, Diaz, Gakpo

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:

Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Van de Ven, Davies, Gray; Bergvall, Bissouma, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son

We say: Liverpool 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur

The first leg was the first time either of these sides has been involved in an EFL Cup game with fewer than three goals this season, and given Postecoglou's stubbornness to change and Liverpool's desperate need to score, another goal-fest could be in store, just not in Spurs' favour.

Spurs may have finally ended their dismal winless league run at the weekend, but they have still been regularly shipping goals against stronger opposition, and if Liverpool are on their game here, a repeat of the ruthless performance they showed in the league fixture in December, which ended 6-3, is likely.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

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Brighton & Hove Albion are reportedly set to announce the deadline day signing of highly sought-after Nurnberg striker Stefanos Tzimas.

After recruiting nine players and forking out in excess of £150m last summer, many questioned whether Fabian Hurzeler's side would be busy in the winter transfer window.

The Seagulls have indeed been active, though, with midfielder Diego Gomez and centre-back Eiran Cashin both joining the club for a combined fee in the region of £20m, while Jakub Moder has been sold to Feyenoord and Julio Enciso has joined Ipswich Town on loan.

Even Ferguson, meanwhile, is understood to be closing in on a loan move to Graham Potter's West Ham United after failing to gain the regular game time he desired under Hurzeler this season.

Brighton are known for their shrewd business in the transfer market and recruiting a plethora of hidden gems or highly-rated prospects who they develop into first-team stars, some of whom have been sold on for significant profit.

The latest name on their radar is 19-year-old Tzimas, who has scored 10 league goals in 17 appearances for Nurnberg this season in the German second division.

Brighton win race for Tzimas?

Sky Sports News reports that Tzimas has also been scouted by fellow Premier League clubs Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.

It is understood that Bundesliga leaders Bayern Munich were another club keen to sign the teenager, but it now appears that Brighton have won the race for his signature.

According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Tzimas has already completed his medical and signed his contract at Brighton, with official confirmation from the club seemingly the final step that needs to be made.

Tzimas has been on loan from Greek side PAOK this season, but Nurnberg are said to have now exercised their option to buy the striker and will sell him to Brighton for a fee over £22m plus add-ons.

However, Brighton will allow Nurnberg to keep the youngster on loan for the remainder of this season before he links up with the Seagulls in the summer.

Seeking to overturn a one-goal first-leg deficit, EFL Cup holders Liverpool play host to Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield for the second leg of their semi-final on Thursday night.

Arne Slot's side bounced back from their 3-2 Champions League loss to PSV Eindhoven by beating Bournemouth 2-0 in the Premier League last weekend to remain six points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand.

Liverpool are now focused on getting the better of an out-of-sorts Spurs side, as they endeavour to move one step closer to winning their third EFL Cup in four seasons, and a record-extending 11th title in total.

Here, Sports Mole rounds up the Reds' latest injury and suspension news ahead of the contest with Ange Postecoglou's side.

Trent Alexander-Arnold

© Imago

Status: Major doubt

Type of injury: Muscle

Possible return date: February 6 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur)

Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off with an unspecified muscle injury in the 70th minute of Liverpool's win at Bournemouth and Slot confirmed after the match that the right-back "felt something", making him a doubt for Thursday's contest.

Joe Gomez

© Imago

Status: Minor doubt

Type of injury: Hamstring

Possible return date: February 6 (vs. Tottenham Hotspur)

Joe Gomez was not named in the matchday squad against Bournemouth despite returning to training earlier in the week. The defender, who last played for Liverpool on December 29, remains doubtful and will be assessed ahead of kickoff.

LIVERPOOL SUSPENSION LIST

Liverpool have no suspended players for this match.

No Data Analysis info