Tottenham Hotspur travel to Anfield on Tuesday for a Carabao Cup fourth-round tie against Liverpool, with both sides hoping to shake off indifferent recent form while continuing to battle a lengthy list of absentees.
Roberto De Zerbi's side arrive at the fixture without a win in their last several outings, a run that has coincided with a growing injury crisis. Spurs were already missing full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie against Everton at the weekend, with both players withheld as a precaution rather than through serious harm. De Zerbi explained that Porro had felt "a small muscular problem" and that he was reluctant to gamble with his fitness so early in the campaign, a caution he extended to Udogie as well.
The Spurs boss further noted that Porro's participation in Spain's victorious World Cup campaign meant his workload would need careful managing throughout the opening weeks of the season. On Monday, De Zerbi confirmed that Porro would also sit out the trip to Merseyside, with a return targeted for the visit of Aston Villa on September 19.
Adding to the club's problems, De Zerbi revealed that Sandro Tonali had picked up a training knock ahead of the Liverpool match and would similarly miss out, though the Italian coach expects the midfielder to be available again for the weekend meeting with Villa.
There was some relief for Spurs supporters as James Maddison returned to full training in time to be considered for the cup tie. However, Mykhailo Mudryk remains sidelined until after the international break following what De Zerbi described as a