Richarlison Frozen Out as Tottenham’s Injury Crisis Deepens Before Liverpool Clash

Tottenham Hotspur will face Liverpool at Anfield in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, with kickoff scheduled for 8:00 p.m. BST on Sept. 15. The fixture comes after Spurs recorded consecutive 0-0 Premier League draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton.

Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that Richarlison remains outside the squad despite being physically fit. The Brazilian international had sought a move away from the North London club before the primary transfer window closed, but a transfer did not materialize, and he will not travel to Merseyside.

“No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available. Udogie yes. Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” De Zerbi said during his pre-match press conference.

Tottenham’s options were reduced further after Sandro Tonali sustained a knock in the scoreless draw with Everton. Pedro Porro is still recovering from a muscular issue, and Dejan Kulusevski remains unavailable. “Yes, there is not Sandro Tonali. I forgot to say because he felt a knock,” De Zerbi added.

Destiny Udogie returns at left-back after being left out against Everton as a precaution. Conor Gallagher, Mateus Fernandes and winger Mohammed Kudus, however, are still working toward full match fitness. De Zerbi said he intends to rotate the lineup while helping recovering players build endurance.

The manager also left open the possibility of academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett appearing from the bench. “I don’t know, Luca. We have to see because many players need to play,” De Zerbi said. “Maybe not 90 minutes, 90 minutes, but 30 minutes a real game is important.”

Spurs have not won at Liverpool’s home ground for 15 years. Their last Anfield victory came in May 2011, when Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modrić scored in a 2-0 win under former manager Harry Redknapp.

Tottenham’s projected lineup is Martin Dubravka in goal, with Archie Gray, Tosin Adarabioyo, Marcos Senesi and Udogie in defense. Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall and Gallagher are expected in midfield, while Kudus and Omar Marmoush could operate alongside central striker Dominic Solanke.

The EFL Cup was established in 1960 and is currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons. It is one of two major domestic cup competitions in English football alongside the FA Cup. Tottenham Hotspur have won the League Cup four times, in 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008, when they defeated Chelsea 2-1 at Wembley Stadium.