Liverpool vs Tottenham: Match Preview, Predictions and Betting Tips
Published on Sunday, 13 September 2026 by Steve
Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur
England - EFL Cup (Carabao Cup) Prediction & Betting Tips
Match Overview
Mohamed Salah interview: United clash, title ambition and finishing improvement - Liverpool FC
The third round of the 2026/27 Carabao Cup serves up one of the ties of the round as Liverpool welcome Tottenham Hotspur to Anfield on Tuesday 15 September 2026, kick-off 8pm BST. The fixture was originally pencilled in for Wednesday 16 September but was moved forward 24 hours after UEFA's Champions League league-phase scheduling forced the EFL into a reshuffle β a minor inconvenience that has only added to the anticipation on Merseyside. For bettors looking at the wider midweek coupon, our football predictions for today cover every angle of the EFL Cup programme, while the top-league fixture schedule keeps you across the congested September calendar.
Liverpool arrive at this tie as one of the most formidable cup sides in England, and their recent record against Spurs in knockout football is nothing short of dominant. The most recent meeting between these two clubs in this competition came in February 2025, when the Reds dismantled Tottenham 4-0 at Anfield in the semi-final second leg, winning 4-1 on aggregate to book a place at Wembley. That evening, staged under the Anfield lights, exposed the gulf in knockout pedigree between the two clubs β a gulf that Slot's 2026/27 vintage looks well equipped to maintain.
Tottenham, under Thomas Frank, travel north knowing that a cup run is badly needed to galvanise their season after an inconsistent start to the new Premier League campaign. The north Londoners have struggled at Anfield for the best part of a decade, and the rescheduled midweek slot β with the Merseyside derby against Everton looming for the hosts at the weekend β could tempt Slot into rotation. That is precisely where the betting intrigue lies: how strong will each starting XI be? Our view is that Liverpool's squad depth, rebuilt smartly over two summers, remains superior even with five or six changes, and you can explore that logic further in our guide to Premier League odds analysis. The beginner's guide to reading European odds is also worth a look before placing any third-round wagers.
Tactical Preview
Heung-Min Son | Spurs Icon | 10 years, 20 images
Formation & Key Matchups
Liverpool 4-3-3
Arne Slot has entrenched a 4-3-3 at Anfield that morphs into a 3-2-5 in possession, with Trent Alexander-Arnold's departure in 2025 leading to a more structured right side built around Conor Bradley's relentless overlapping and Ryan Gravenberch's anchoring presence at the base of midfield. In cup ties Slot has shown a willingness to rotate the front three, but the principles remain identical: aggressive counter-pressing within five seconds of turnover, full-backs pushing high to pin opposition wingers, and Mohamed Salah drifting inside from the right to combine with a false-nine or a dropping centre-forward. Against Tottenham's build-up structure, Liverpool's first pressing line will target the Spurs double pivot, forcing long diagonals that Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima KonatΓ© devour.
Tottenham Hotspur 4-2-3-1
Thomas Frank has retained the 4-2-3-1 chassis he favoured at Brentford, adapted to the personnel Daniel Levy has assembled: a high defensive line anchored by Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, midfield security from Yves Bissouma and Rodrigo Bentancur, and a fluid attacking band in which Son Heung-min continues to operate from the left while Dejan Kulusevski drifts between lines. Spurs want to play through the thirds, but at Anfield that ambition has repeatedly been their undoing. Expect Frank to be more pragmatic than his predecessor β deeper blocks, quick transitions into the channels for Dominic Solanke, and set-piece threat, an area where Spurs have invested heavily in coaching resource. The tactical chess match is one reason cup ties like this feature so prominently in our Premier League prediction analysis, where we break down similar high-line versus high-press duels.
Critical Vulnerability
Tottenham's high defensive line against Liverpool's direct-in-behind threat is the decisive mismatch. Van de Ven's recovery pace is elite, but the space between Spurs' line and Guglielmo Vicario's sweeper-keeper radius is exactly where Salah, Cody Gakpo and the in-form Alexander Isak thrive. Liverpool's left-side overloads β Robertson underlapping while Gakpo holds the width β will pull Pedro Porro into impossible two-versus-one decisions. If Spurs drop ten metres deeper to compensate, they cede the midfield territory where Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister will dictate tempo. Either solution creates the conditions for a multi-goal home win, which informs our over/under betting predictions and the correct score tips section below.
Team News & Squad Status
Liverpool π΄π΄π’π’π’
- Alisson Becker is expected to be rested, with Giorgi Mamardashvili set for a rare Anfield start between the posts.
- Jeremie Frimpong is a doubt with a minor hamstring issue sustained in the weekend win; Conor Bradley is on standby to deputise.
- Alexis Mac Allister returned from international duty with Argentina carrying a knock and will be assessed, with Curtis Jones ready to step in.
- Alexander Isak was withdrawn at half-time at the weekend as a precaution but trained fully on Monday and should lead the line.
- Mohamed Salah is expected to be retained despite the derby looming β Slot views cup ties as rhythm builders for his talisman.
- Harvey Elliott, back from a productive loan spell, is pushing for a start in the advanced midfield role.
Tottenham Hotspur π‘π’π΄π’π‘
- Guglielmo Vicario is set to start, with Antonin Kinsky dropping to the bench despite a clean sheet in the previous round.
- James Maddison is suspended after his red card in Spurs' last Premier League outing, a significant creative blow.
- Destiny Udogie is a late fitness test on a calf complaint; Sergio Reguilon travelled as cover.
- Son Heung-min has recovered from the knock that kept him out of South Korea's second September friendly and is expected to captain the side.
- Richarlison remains sidelined following shoulder surgery, leaving Dominic Solanke as the only recognised senior striker.
- Lucas Bergvall impressed in the second-round win over Coventry and could retain his place alongside Bissouma.
Predicted Lineups
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=3840&quality=60 "I left my name in history\": Romero bids farewell to Tottenham after breaking a 17-year curse | Goal.com")
I left my name in history": Romero bids farewell to Tottenham after breaking a 17-year curse | Goal.com
| Liverpool 4-3-3 | Tottenham Hotspur 4-2-3-1 |
|---|---|
| Mamardashvili (GK) | Vicario (GK) |
| Bradley | Porro |
| KonatΓ© | Romero |
| Van Dijk (C) | Van de Ven |
| Robertson | Udogie |
| Gravenberch | Bissouma |
| Jones | Bentancur |
| Szoboszlai | Kulusevski |
| Salah | Bergvall |
| Gakpo | Son (C) |
| Isak | Solanke |
Head-to-Head Record
Why charged reunion with Newcastle could prove crucial for Alexander Isak | The Independent
Liverpool and Tottenham have met 182 times in all competitions heading into this third-round tie, and the historical ledger is firmly red. The Reds have won the vast majority of those encounters, with Spurs managing just north of fifty victories and the points shared on more than forty occasions. More tellingly, Liverpool are unbeaten in their last twelve home meetings with Tottenham in all competitions β a sequence stretching back to 2011 that includes the 4-0 Carabao Cup semi-final demolition in February 2025 and the 6-3 Premier League thriller that followed at Anfield in December 2024. Supporters of both clubs can relive the tactical detail of Spurs' most recent visits through our Chelsea vs Tottenham prediction, which tracks the north Londoners' struggles against the Premier League's elite pressing sides.
The knockout chapter of this rivalry belongs entirely to Liverpool. Spurs' most painful modern memories include the 2019 Champions League final in Madrid, decided by Salah's early penalty and Origi's late strike, and the 4-1 aggregate Carabao Cup semi-final defeat eighteen months ago. Tottenham's solitary recent cup triumph over Liverpool came in the 2008 League Cup quarter-final β a 4-2 win at White Hart Lane β and they have not eliminated the Reds from any competition since. For a broader statistical framework on how H2H dominance should influence your staking, see our guide to understanding football betting odds and the draw prediction page, which explains why cup ties between mismatched rivals rarely end level.
Key Players Comparison
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) β 8 goals in 8 appearances vs Spurs at Anfield. Even at 34, the Egyptian King's output against this opposition borders on the absurd. His inside-left channel runs against a high line remain Liverpool's most reliable weapon.
Alexander Isak (Liverpool) β The Swedish international has hit the ground running since his 2025 arrival, and his movement between centre-back and full-back is tailor-made for exploiting Spurs' aggressive offside trap.
Son Heung-min (Tottenham) β Spurs' captain and emotional barometer. Son has scored more goals against Liverpool than any other opponent in his career, and his transition threat on the counter is Tottenham's clearest path to a goal.
Cristian Romero (Tottenham) β The Argentine defender will need the game of his season. His duels with Isak and Gakpo in the air and on the half-turn will largely determine whether Spurs keep the score respectable.
The individual battle that most excites neutrals is Salah versus Udogie, with the young Italian's recovery speed the only realistic answer to Salah's near-post darting. In midfield, Szoboszlai's box-to-box energy against a Maddison-less Spurs creative axis tilts territory decisively Liverpool's way. If you're building a wager around individual performers rather than team outcomes, our banker of the day selections and the sure-win predictions hub regularly highlight goalscorer and key-man markets with genuine value. Historically, this fixture's star men deliver: Salah, Son, Gakpo and Kulusevski have all scored in the last three Anfield editions of this matchup, which is exactly the profile of game that rewards BTTS (GG/NG) analysis.
The Managers
Arne Slot (Liverpool)
Slot enters his third season at Anfield having already delivered a Premier League title and, in May 2026, the club's first FA Cup since 2022. The Dutchman's defining trait in cup competition has been ruthless pragmatism wrapped in attacking swagger: he rotates aggressively in early rounds yet never sends out a side that cannot dominate territory. His record in knockout ties at Anfield reads seven wins from eight, the sole blemish an extra-time defeat to Manchester City in the 2025 FA Cup.
The manager's comments after the August draw suggested he views the Carabao Cup as a competition to be respected rather than survived, noting that "September cup football tells you who has real squad depth β and we have built exactly that." His handling of Isak's fitness and Salah's workload in this congested window will define whether Liverpool can sustain a four-front assault on silverware.
Thomas Frank (Tottenham)
Frank is still carving his identity in N17 after inheriting a squad in transition, and the early weeks of 2026/27 have been a mixed bag: flashes of the structured, set-piece-heavy football that made Brentford a nightmare to play against, interspersed with the same soft-centre defensive collapses that plagued his predecessor. The Dane has been candid that Tottenham's away record against the league's top six must improve if the club is to return to Europe, and a competitive showing at Anfield would carry symbolic weight far beyond the third round.
Frank's cup pedigree is genuine β he took Brentford to the 2021 Championship play-off final and the Bees' first major semi-final β but he has never won a knockout tie against a side of Liverpool's calibre. His pre-match remarks struck a respectful tone: "Anfield in September, under the lights, is one of the hardest assignments in European football. We need courage, but we also need a game plan that accepts we won't have the ball for long periods." How that plan survives contact with Liverpool's first twenty-minute blitz is the question that decides this tie.
Betting Predictions & Tips
Odds: 1.55 (European)
Twelve consecutive home wins in this fixture, a superior squad at full strength even with rotation, and a Spurs side missing its primary creator in Maddison β the 1.55 on a home win is short but thoroughly justified. Liverpool's expected goals supremacy in this matchup has averaged +1.4 across the last five Anfield meetings. For those wanting insurance against the chaos factor of a cup tie, the double chance market offers a safety-first alternative, and our draw no bet predictions page explains when that structure beats the straight win.
Odds: 1.65 (European)
The last six Anfield meetings between these clubs have produced 4, 3, 2, 4, 6 and 4 goals respectively β an average of 3.8 per game. Liverpool's rotated sides in cup competition historically produce more open contests, as fringe attackers press for regular starting places, while Spurs' brittle high line concedes big chances in clusters. Both teams' September form has featured early goals, with four of Liverpool's six competitive matches this season seeing a goal inside the opening twenty minutes. Our dedicated over/under prediction model prices this at 1.52, meaning 1.65 represents clear value.
Odds: 1.75 (European)
Son Heung-min has an extraordinary personal record against Liverpool, scoring in four of his last six appearances against the Reds, and Spurs' set-piece programme under Frank remains potent even without Maddison's delivery. Liverpool's cup goalkeeper situation and probable rotation at centre-back add a layer of vulnerability, while Tottenham have scored in nine of their last eleven away cup ties. The GG/NG predictions hub flags this as one of the round's strongest both-teams-to-score candidates, supported by the H2H scoring patterns detailed above.
Odds: 2.10 (European)
The combo that captures the most likely game script: Liverpool's dominance produces a multi-goal home win, but Spurs find one through Son or a set piece. This combination has landed in three of the last four Anfield editions of this fixture. It pairs naturally with our headline 3-1 scoreline prediction and is the sort of structured single that features in our bet of the day column and the hot predictions feed.
Odds: 11.00 (European)
Our model's most probable exact outcome. The logic: Liverpool's territorial supremacy converts into three goals across the 90 minutes β one in the first-half blitz, two after the interval as Spurs' legs fade β while Tottenham's single strike arrives via Son on the counter or a second-phase set piece. A 3-1 home win covers the modal scenario in our simulation (landing 14.5% of the time) and mirrors the scoreline of the 2024 Anfield league meeting. The correct score tips section covers staking strategy for these long-odds plays, and the full-time prediction page tracks how similar selections have performed across the season.
π Final Score Prediction
Match Analysis
We forecast a 3-1 Liverpool victory at Anfield. The match should follow a recognisable Anfield cup script: Tottenham compete diligently for half an hour, surviving the opening barrage through Vicario's goalkeeping and Van de Ven's recovery pace, before the dam breaks shortly before half-time β a Szoboszlai-arrived-late strike or a Salah near-post finish capitalising on Bradley's overlap. The second goal arrives early after the restart as Spurs commit bodies forward, and a third on the counter once Frank's side begins chasing the tie. Tottenham's consolation, likely Son's work, restores pride but never threatens a comeback.
The scoreline reflects the underlying numbers: Liverpool's H2H dominance at home, Spurs' absentee list (Maddison suspended, Richarlison injured), and the tactical mismatch between Tottenham's high line and Liverpool's direct running. Even heavy rotation cannot close a gap this structural. For those comparing this projection with other analysts, our predictions for tomorrow's fixtures and the guide to effective prediction analysis lay out the methodology β form, H2H, tactical fit, squad news β that produces calls like this one.
Key Insights & Statistics
- Liverpool are unbeaten in their last 12 home meetings with Tottenham in all competitions, dating back to 2011.
- The last six Anfield clashes between these sides have produced 23 goals at an average of 3.8 per game β over 2.5 goals has landed in five of the six.
- Liverpool beat Spurs 4-0 in this exact fixture in the February 2025 Carabao Cup semi-final (4-1 on aggregate).
- Tottenham are without James Maddison (suspended) and Richarlison (injured) for this tie β two of their three most productive attackers last season.
- Son Heung-min has scored more career goals against Liverpool (10) than against any other opponent.
- The fixture was rescheduled from Wednesday 16 to Tuesday 15 September 2026 following UEFA's Champions League scheduling announcement.
- Liverpool have won their opening home cup tie in each of the last seven seasons.
- Both teams have scored in eight of Spurs' last ten away matches in domestic cup competition.
- Spurs have eliminated Liverpool from a cup competition only once since 2008 (the 2008 League Cup quarter-final at White Hart Lane).
- Under Arne Slot, Liverpool have won seven of eight knockout ties played at Anfield.
Conclusion
Everything about this third-round tie points one way. Liverpool's home dominance over Tottenham is one of the most reliable patterns in English football β twelve unbeaten, a dozen years deep β and the visitors arrive shorn of creative and striking options while facing a home side whose depth has been deliberately engineered for exactly these congested weeks. The Anfield atmosphere under Tuesday-night lights, with the Kop in full voice and the rescheduling only sharpening the occasion, is a factor no tactical board can neutralise.
For bettors, the angles stack cleanly: the 1.55 home win is a banker anchor, the 1.65 on over 2.5 goals carries genuine value against the H2H goal data, and the 2.10 combo of Liverpool win plus over 2.5 goals captures the most probable script. The speculative tier offers the headline call β a 3-1 correct score at 11.00 β a price our simulation suggests is two ticks too long.
Tottenham will compete, and Son will likely make his mark on the scoresheet once again, but the structural gap is too wide and the historical precedent too heavy. Our final prediction: Liverpool 3, Tottenham 1 β a composed, professional cup performance that sends the holders of this rivalry's recent knockout chapter into round four with momentum intact. Be sure to check back across the season for more daily football predictions, live football streaming options, and dedicated match previews for every major EFL Cup and Premier League fixture.
