Carabao Cup: Alexander-Arnold ruled out of Tottenham clash

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham on Thursday.

Alexander-Arnold was substituted in the 70th minute during Liverpool’s Premier League win over Bournemouth on Saturday after appearing to suffer a thigh injury.

The Reds, last season’s League Cup winners under Jurgen Klopp, will need to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they host Spurs at Anfield.

“He [Alexander-Arnold] is going to miss the [Tottenham] game,” Slot said ahead of the crucial clash. “We have to see whether he can play on Sunday, but what we do know is that he is not available for tomorrow.

“He left the pitch with a bit of pain in his leg, but he’s already on the [training] pitch, not with the team but with the rehab coach. Let’s see how long it is going to take.”

Conor Bradley, who replaced Alexander-Arnold against Bournemouth, started the first leg at Tottenham on 8 January and is likely to feature again. Joe Gomez, now fit after a hamstring injury, is another defensive option.

Liverpool, currently top of the Premier League and through to the last 16 of the Champions League, opted against making any January transfer signings.

“I’ve said it many times, we have a very good squad and, if you look at the league table, the players have shown that the trust we have in them was correct,” Slot added.

“And apart from Trent now for a few days, we didn’t have many long-term injuries when the window was open.”