Robertson Returns as Tottenham’s Goal Drought Meets Liverpool’s Rotation Test

LIVERPOOL, England — Andrew Robertson will return to Anfield on Tuesday night in Tottenham Hotspur colors, nine years after joining Liverpool and beginning a career that produced every major domestic and European trophy. He departed as a free agent when his contract expired, signing for a Tottenham side seeking offensive production and momentum.

The Carabao Cup third-round fixture arrives with both clubs under new management and facing different forms of early-season pressure. Tottenham is 17th in the Premier League with two points from four matches and has not scored a league goal this season, despite offseason transfer spending that approached £350 million and gave Roberto De Zerbi extensive backing to reshape the squad.


De Zerbi is under intense scrutiny after a difficult opening month and is expected to select a strong, senior-heavy lineup at Anfield. Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes are slated to feature in midfield, with Mohammed Kudus, Conor Gallagher, Sávio, and striker Dominic Solanke expected to form the attacking unit.

Robertson is set to start at left-back against his former club. Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, and Archie Gray are projected to complete the defense, with Gray covering at right-back while Pedro Porro is sidelined by a muscle injury. Czech goalkeeper Antonín Kinský is expected in goal.

Liverpool has not lost across all competitions this season, though Saturday’s 0-0 Premier League draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage left the team with six points from four league matches. Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch struggled to establish control in midfield during that result.

The draw came after one of Liverpool’s strongest performances under head coach Andoni Iraola, a 2-1 UEFA Champions League group-stage victory over Atlético Madrid on Sept. 9. Iraola’s high-intensity pressing system, however, has led to plans for heavy rotation during a week containing three fixtures.

That approach fits the English Football League Cup, known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons. The competition has long provided a major rotation opportunity for top-flight English clubs, while its direct-elimination format brings Premier League teams involved in European competition into the tournament at the third-round stage.

Eighteen-year-old midfielder Trey Nyoni is in line to start for Liverpool alongside World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister, and Lewis Koumas is positioned in an advanced central role. Rio Ngumoha and Victor Muñoz are contenders on the wings, with Dutch international Cody Gakpo expected to play as the central striker.

Wataru Endo is slated to make his first appearance of the season and could operate at center-back beside Ronald Araújo. Jeremie Frimpong and Kostas Tsimikas are projected to start at full-back, while Georgian goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili is expected to be selected in goal.

Liverpool is the most successful club in League Cup history, with a record 10 titles and a most recent triumph in 2024. Tottenham has won the tournament four times, last lifting the trophy in 2008.

The broader head-to-head record also favors Liverpool. Tottenham has won only two of the clubs’ past 20 meetings in all competitions and has suffered 14 defeats. One of those victories came in a contentious 2023 Premier League match in which Liverpool finished with nine men after a Luis Díaz goal was incorrectly disallowed because of a VAR communication error.

The teams also faced each other in the 2025 Carabao Cup semi-finals. Tottenham won the first leg 1-0, but Liverpool overturned the aggregate scoreline to reach the final.