Arne Slot Admits Liverpool Player Is Unlikely To Start Against Tottenham Hotspur In Carabao Cup Semis
Liverpool will turn their attention to the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday night after being held to a dramatic 2-2 draw by Manchester United on Sunday.
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The Reds are now six points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand. Arne Slot's side take on struggling Tottenham who only managed to progress to the last four of the Carabao Cup with a dramatic 4-3 victory over Man United.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have been inconsistent so far this season and were beaten 2-1 at home by Newcastle United on Saturday. Liverpool, on the other hand, saw a heavily rotated side secure a 2-1 quarter-final win away at Southampton last month.
Ahead of the game, Slot has revealed that defender Ibrahima Konate is unlikely to start against Tottenham following his comeback from injury against Man United. Konate has been out for several weeks since suffering a knee injury against Real Madrid in the Champions League at the end of November.
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However, after Joe Gomez sustained a hamstring injury in their last outing against West Ham United, the France international started alongside Virgil van Dijk. He lasted the full 90 minutes at Anfield but he is now expected to start on the bench against Tottenham after a lengthy lay-off.
Arne Slot said: "Because he was fit. If he wouldn’t [have been] then we wouldn’t have started him, then he doesn’t train with us. The moment he starts to train with the team he is fit again.
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"It is not to say that he can immediately play two games a week, but he can definitely play 90 minutes, like he showed today.
"Like you saw, except for the first game when I chose [Jarell] Quansah, all the other games when Ibou was fit he started, so that’s the answer I think to your question. The moment he is fit, he can start.
"But if you have been out for such a long time it’s difficult to immediately play then two games a week, so it must not come as a surprise if he doesn’t play on Wednesday. But he played today for 90 minutes and I think he showed in that 90 minutes that he was ready to play."
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LFC Transfer Room Football Correspondent. Covered the fortunes of Liverpool for the past three years. Follow Joseph on X (formerly Twitter) @joseph_agbobli