Tottenham will be without two players due to suspension when they meet Liverpool in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final next month, with the Reds escaping the same fate.
The Reds meet Ange Postecoglou’s side on Sunday in the Premier League and will not have to wait long for another encounter after they were drawn to face each other in the two-legged semi-final.
Tottenham will host the first leg on January 7/8 before a return to Anfield for the decider on February 4/5.
Postecoglou will not be able to call upon either James Maddison or Pape Matar Sarr for the first leg, however, after the pair reached the suspension threshold in the quarter-final.
Sarr has been a regular for Tottenham in midfield this season, featuring in every match, while Maddison has been a vital contributor with seven goals and five assists.
The rules state that if a player is shown two yellow cards throughout an individual Carabao Cup campaign, they will serve a suspension in the next match in the competition.
The slate is wiped clean after the quarter-final, meaning Jarell Quansah and Wataru Endo are no longer under threat having been a yellow card away at Southampton from missing the first leg.
Considering Spurs are facing an injury crisis, two suspensions will certainly not help their chances of ending their 16-year wait for a trophy.
They are without eight first-team players for the visit of Arne Slot‘s side on Sunday, and may only welcome back three in the lead-up to the first leg, including Richarlison, Ben Davies and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s injury list is looking a lot kinder, with only Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley still sidelined.
Slot could not offer an exact timeline for their returns but told reporters on Friday, “They are on their way back, but they don’t train with the team yet.
“The main thing is if they come back, they are ready to come back. We must not focus on one, two or three days, it’s more important for the long term that they stay fit afterwards.”
