Richarlison Still Out as Tottenham Face Liverpool in Carabao Cup

LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool’s record in the League Cup adds weight to Tottenham Hotspur’s Carabao Cup challenge at Anfield. Liverpool is the most successful club in the history of the League Cup, having won the tournament a record 10 times, including their recent triumph in 2024.

Tottenham travels to Anfield after successive 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton. The team has gone scoreless for more than 180 minutes of competitive play, but manager Roberto De Zerbi confirmed on Monday that striker Richarlison remains excluded from first-team plans for the knockout fixture.

“Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing has changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League,” De Zerbi told reporters. “The situation is the same.”

Tottenham’s lack of goals has not changed the manager’s decision. Securing a victory without the club’s primary offensive weapon from the previous campaign presents a significant tactical challenge for De Zerbi’s coaching staff, who must find internal solutions to kickstart the attack.

Richarlison joined Tottenham from Everton in 2022 in a deal valued at up to £60 million ($75 million). The Brazilian international actively lobbied for a departure during the summer transfer window and declined an offer to extend his contract.

De Zerbi initially hoped to retain the forward, but chose not to force the issue once Richarlison’s desire to leave became absolute. “I can’t go every day to pray for him to stay,” the manager said.

Tottenham officials spent the final weeks of the summer transfer window looking for a viable transfer package to offload the striker. A potential return to Everton collapsed over personal terms, while inquiries from Turkish Süper Lig side Trabzonspor and Brazilian club Vasco da Gama also failed to produce an agreement before the registration deadlines passed.

The failed negotiations left both parties in a sporting stalemate. Richarlison was omitted from Tottenham’s official Premier League squad list registered earlier this month, although Carabao Cup registration rules are more flexible and would technically allow him to play against Liverpool.

De Zerbi has chosen to maintain the banishment despite those rules. “I said last press conference, I know what happened in the last 45 days,” he said, declining to detail the specifics of the dispute. “It’s not right if I explain. It’s not my behaviour.”

He added: “It is the relationship, and the problem is with the player and the club. I spoke with him many times to convince him to stay and he didn’t want to.”

The stance comes as Tottenham seeks a route back to major silverware. The north London club has not won a major trophy since clinching the League Cup in 2008 with a 2-1 victory over Chelsea at Wembley Stadium. The Carabao Cup remains one of Tottenham’s most viable pathways to ending that 16-year drought, with Liverpool standing between the club and the next round.