Liverpool and Tottenham are both in poor form recently. Who will advance to the next round of the EFL Cup?
Venue: Anfield
Local Kick-off Time: Sep 15, 2026 8.00pm
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Liverpool
Attacking Stagnation & Midfield Vulnerabilities: While Andoni Iraola’s side preserved their unbeaten start to the domestic campaign against Fulham, the lacklustre performance in the final third raised immediate alarms. Creative linchpins Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Ryan Gravenberch struggled to generate high-quality chances against a compact block. Deep-seated anxieties within the fanbase have resurfaced regarding the composition of the engine room; without an elite defensive anchor to break up play and a dependable deep-lying progressor to dictate tempo, Liverpool risk dropping crucial points in the title race. Sitting seventh with six points from four matches, consistency remains elusive.
Anfield Form & Chasing an 11th League Cup Title: Fortress Anfield has shown unexpected cracks in the opening weeks of the season, yielding just one victory in three competitive fixtures—the gritty 2-1 Champions League triumph over Atlético Madrid on September 9—alongside four goals scored and three conceded. While Iraola must balance priority commitments across the Premier League and Europe, the Merseysiders’ unmatched pedigree in the EFL Cup demands a deep run. Holding a record ten titles, Liverpool view Tuesday's clash as an essential stepping stone toward securing an unprecedented eleventh crown.
Fatigue-Induced Rotation & Expected Lineup: Strained by the demands of three high-intensity fixtures in seven days, Iraola will implement sweeping changes across the XI. Teenage sensation Trey Nyoni is primed for a start in central midfield alongside Alexis Mac Allister, while Lewis Koumas is under consideration to operate in an advanced number 10 playmaker role. In attack, Cody Gakpo is in line to spearhead the frontline, and veteran utility man Wataru Endō is set to make his first appearance of the season, likely deputizing as an emergency central defender.
Tottenham Hotspur
De Zerbi’s Crisis & Historic Goalscoring Drought: Tottenham arrive on Merseyside in deep turmoil, failing to win any of their opening four Premier League fixtures (D2, L2). Even more damning is Spurs' complete failure to find the back of the net in top-flight action this term, marking their worst goalscoring start to a campaign in club history. Having heavily influenced a frantic summer window that saw Tottenham invest nearly £350m into first-team talent, Roberto De Zerbi faces intense scrutiny with his side languishing in 17th place with just two points against Brentford, Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Everton.
Historical Inferiority & Away Struggles: Precedent offers little comfort for the North Londoners, who have registered just two wins in their last 20 meetings with Liverpool while suffering 14 defeats. Both rare triumphs carried distinct asterisks: their controversial 2-1 victory in 2023 came against nine-man Liverpool following an infamous VAR error, while their January 2025 EFL Cup semi-final first-leg win was rendered moot as Liverpool progressed on aggregate. Spurs have collected a single point from two away matches this season, though they did close the 2025–26 campaign with two wins from their final three road fixtures.
Must-Win Urgency & Robertson’s Emotional Return: Given the mounting pressure on his position, De Zerbi cannot afford wholesale concessions and will field a battle-ready side featuring regular starters Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes in midfield. The match serves as a deeply emotional homecoming for veteran defender Andy Robertson, who departs on a free transfer in the summer of 2026 after nine trophy-laden years at Anfield between 2017 and 2026. On the opposite flank, Pedro Porro remains sidelined with a muscular issue, clearing the way for versatile teenager Archie Gray to retain his starting berth at right-back.
