Liverpool Vs Tottenham: Slot Hopeful On Alisson As Spurs Recall Vicario Amid Keeper Storm
With liverpool vs tottenham set for Sunday at Anfield, both clubs enter the meeting with significant goalkeeper storylines and selection questions that could shape the contest.
Liverpool Vs Tottenham: Team News At A Glance
- Liverpool: Arne Slot said he is hopeful Alisson Becker will be available after a minor muscle issue kept him out of the Champions League defeat in Istanbul. Giorgi Mamardashvili started that match and has made a dozen appearances since arriving from Valencia.
- Attack/midfield options: Federico Chiesa is expected to be back in contention after illness kept him out of the trip to Turkiye.
- Longer-term picture: No change for Stefan Bajcetic, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo, Alexander Isak and Giovanni Leoni, who remain sidelined.
- Tottenham: Interim head coach Igor Tudor plans to recall Guglielmo Vicario for the visit to Anfield. Central defenders Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero are unavailable.
Spurs’ Turmoil Shapes Selection
Tudor’s decision-making around the goalkeeper position has dominated Spurs’ build-up. The interim manager, who has lost all four of his matches in charge, substituted backup Antonin Kinsky after 17 minutes in last week’s 5-2 defeat at Atletico Madrid, with the team already 3-0 down. Kinsky was deemed to have made errors for two of the goals, and the early change sparked criticism and discontent among some teammates.
Explaining his handling of the moment, Tudor said he avoided approaching the distraught 22-year-old on the touchline to prevent making a difficult scene worse. He added that the pair spoke and embraced at half-time and that he would make the same decision again if required, framing it as an attempt to protect both the player and the team.
Against that backdrop, Tudor is set to restore Vicario for the liverpool vs tottenham fixture. With van de Ven and Romero out, the defensive reshuffle around the recalled goalkeeper is likely to be a central factor in how Spurs approach Anfield.
Slot Eyes Alisson Return And Juggles Emerging Options
On the home side, Slot outlined a cautious optimism over Alisson’s readiness. The Brazilian felt something in a muscle while passing the ball earlier in the week, and the issue was assessed as minor. The accelerated match schedule forced him to miss the visit to Galatasaray, but Slot expressed hope the No. 1 will be ready for Sunday, adding that if the plan holds he expects the goalkeeper to be back at the latest for the next European meeting with the Turkish club.
In Istanbul, Mamardashvili stepped in and added to his run of games since joining from Valencia. Elsewhere in attack, Chiesa should return after illness, offering another option for Slot as he navigates the quick turnaround.
Slot also addressed the careful management of 17-year-old Rio Ngumoha, who started the recent FA Cup win at Wolverhampton Wanderers before being an unused substitute in midweek. The staff are mindful of the risk of stress-related injuries for players his age; Jayden Danns was cited as an example from within the club. Even so, Ngumoha remains in the conversation to start one of the upcoming three games.
Beyond those near-term calls, there is no change to the status of longer-term absentees Bajcetic, Bradley, Endo, Isak and Leoni.
The converging storylines—Tudor’s high-stakes recall of Vicario for Tottenham and Slot’s late-week optimism on Alisson—set an intriguing tone for Sunday’s meeting at Anfield, where both benches face pivotal selection decisions in goal and across the supporting cast.