Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Preview
Tuesday night at Anfield in the League Cup third round, and there is more riding on this one than the scoreline might eventually suggest. Liverpool need a performance. After a flat goalless draw with Fulham at the weekend, the mood around the club has shifted slightly, and while Andoni Iraola’s side are still unbeaten in the Premier League, that lethargic display has left supporters asking real questions about the team’s ability to unlock defences. The League Cup gives them a chance to reset, to rotate, and to remind everyone what they are capable of when things click. Six points from 12 in the league, currently sitting seventh, this is not the start anyone connected with Anfield had mapped out.
For Tottenham, it is arguably worse. Roberto De Zerbi’s side travel north having spent the best part of 350 million pounds in one transfer window, and they are sitting seventeenth in the Premier League without a single league goal to their name through four matches. Brentford, Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Everton. That is not a murderous run of fixtures. It is the kind of schedule you expect to take points from, and Spurs have managed two draws and two defeats. There will be no hiding place on Tuesday night, and the pressure on De Zerbi to show this squad has some identity and some backbone is mounting by the day.
There is also a compelling subplot here. Andrew Robertson returns to Anfield for the first time as a visiting player, nine years at the club coming to an end in the summer of 2026 when he left on a free. He will get his reception from the home fans, respectful no doubt, but once that whistle goes the sentiment ends. Liverpool have won 10 League Cup titles, more than anyone else in the history of the competition. Iraola will not be treating this as a throwaway night, whatever rotation he rings in.
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Form
Liverpool’s recent form tells a slightly contradictory story depending on which competition you look at. Their 2-1 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on September 9 was genuinely impressive, a controlled, purposeful European performance that showed what this squad can produce when the intensity is there. The problem is that in the league, they have been far too inconsistent. Four matches played, two wins, two draws, and those draws have both been goalless. The Fulham stalemate at the weekend was particularly concerning because it was at home, and the midfield trio of Wirtz, Szoboszlai and Gravenberch simply did not function as a unit. Iraola’s system demands relentless energy and movement, and when those players cannot sustain that across multiple games in a week, the whole machine stutters.
Tottenham’s form is, bluntly put, a disaster. Four Premier League matches, no wins, no goals, two points. The worst start to a season in their history when measured by goals scored. Their 0-0 with Everton at the weekend tells you everything you need to know. Everton, a side that has their own struggles, came to Spurs and kept a clean sheet without breaking sweat. For a team managed by De Zerbi, a coach celebrated for his expansive, attacking football, to be sitting on zero league goals after four games is staggering. There is clearly a disconnect between the players brought in and the system being asked of them, and until that clicks, Spurs are going to keep grinding out these joyless stalemates and the occasional defeat.
The contrast in European form is also worth noting. Liverpool came away from the Wanda Metropolitano with three points. Spurs are not in Europe this season, which at this rate feels less like a disappointment and more like a blessing given how stretched they would look across multiple competitions. Liverpool carry genuine momentum from Madrid. Spurs carry none from anywhere.
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Head to Head
The head-to-head record between these two sides is as one-sided as any fixture in the top flight. Spurs have won just two of their last 20 meetings with Liverpool, losing 14 of them. That is not a run that fills you with confidence if you are backing the visitors tonight. One of those two wins came in 2023 and remains a source of frustration for Liverpool supporters given the Reds were reduced to nine men and had a legitimate goal chalked off by VAR despite replays showing the decision was wrong. The other came in the League Cup semi-final in January 2025, though that result was ultimately academic as Liverpool overturned the deficit across the tie and progressed. So even in the rare instances Spurs have beaten Liverpool in recent years, the Reds have found a way to come out on top overall.
At Anfield specifically, Tottenham have found it almost impossible to turn up and take anything. Liverpool have been dominant on home soil in this fixture for the better part of a decade, and with Spurs in the shape they are currently in, there is nothing in the record books or in the current form guide to suggest Tuesday evening will be any different.
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Lineups
Liverpool will rotate, and Iraola has the squad depth to do it sensibly. Trey Nyoni is expected to come into midfield and could be partnered by Alexis Mac Allister, with Lewis Koumas operating as a number 10. Cody Gakpo looks set to lead the line. The most intriguing selection is Wataru Endo, who is likely to make his first appearance of the season but shifted into a centre-back role rather than his more natural midfield position. With Frimpong and Tsimikas providing the width from full-back, and Ngumoha and Munoz in the wider attacking positions, this is still a Liverpool side with genuine quality even in a rotated XI. It is a lineup built to win the game, not to park it.
De Zerbi is expected to name a stronger side than you might anticipate given the cup competition, largely because he cannot afford any more chaos on his watch. Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali in midfield gives Spurs some proper quality in the engine room, while Kudus, Gallagher and Savio in behind Dominic Solanke offers attacking options that the team simply have not been able to unlock in the league. Robertson starts at left-back, which is inevitable given the occasion. Pedro Porro misses out with a muscle issue, so Archie Gray continues at right-back. The back four is solid enough on paper, but this is a team still searching for coherence.
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Tactics
Iraola’s Liverpool press hard and press high, and even with a rotated side, that principle does not change. The difference against Fulham was that the press lost its bite in the second half, with players visibly running out of steam having played a Champions League match just four days before. With fresher legs on Tuesday and players who have been waiting for their chance, expect Liverpool to be sharper out of possession and quicker in transition. Nyoni in particular thrives on that tempo, carrying the ball through lines with purpose. Gakpo’s movement as a centre-forward gives Liverpool a focal point who can hold play up and bring others into the game, and if Koumas finds space between the lines, Spurs will have real problems containing him.
De Zerbi’s system on paper is built around quick, intricate passing through midfield and wide overloads to create crossing opportunities. The problem is that against a team pressing as aggressively as Liverpool, those combinations break down under pressure, and Spurs have shown no ability to play through a press with confidence yet this season. Tonali will be asked to be the calming presence, the one who slows it down and picks the right pass, but if Liverpool’s press is on, he will not have the time or space to dictate. Robertson bombing forward on the left adds a dimension Spurs have been missing at full-back, and his knowledge of Anfield could actually help him navigate the spaces, but defensively this Spurs back line has been all over the place, and Liverpool will target that ruthlessly.
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur Prediction and Betting Tips
Liverpool to win, and to win comfortably. Even in a rotated guise, the quality gap between these two sides right now is significant. Spurs have no goals, no confidence and a coach fighting for credibility. Liverpool have home advantage, a point to prove, and players fresh enough to execute what Iraola asks of them. The 3-1 scoreline feels about right. Liverpool will have enough to win with a margin, and Spurs will nick one late when the game is already decided, which is precisely the kind of goal that flatters a struggling side without changing the narrative.
The tip here is Liverpool on the -1 Asian handicap, or for those looking at a cleaner market, Liverpool to win and over 2.5 goals covers the scenario well. This has goals in it, but Liverpool are the side putting them in. Backing Liverpool -1 handicap at a solid price reflects the quality gap and the motivation on the home side without demanding a perfect performance from a team in rotation mode.