Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool Bet Builder Tips: Back the offside overs in 12/1 shot

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool only faced off less than three weeks ago at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as the Reds ran riot in north London, blitzing the Lilywhites 6-3 to extend their lead at the top of the Premier League. The two clubs meet again at the same venue on Wednesday (20:00, Sky Sports Main Event), but this time in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie.

Below are my Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool Bet Builder Tips ahead of this midweek cup clash in N17.

Football Odds

Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool Odds

Match Result - Liverpool Win

Liverpool have won four of their last five meetings with Tottenham Hotspur, including last month's high-scoring success in north London, and the only game in which they failed to beat the Lilywhites was a 2-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in September 2023 when, with the scores level at 0-0 and the Reds a man down, the visitors were on the wrong end of arguably the most controversial disallowed goal in Premier League history. Spurs went on to take the lead and although Liverpool equalised, they were reduced to nine men in the second half and lost to a last-gasp own-goal from Joel Matip.

Arne Slot and Ange Postecoglou have only faced off once as managers and that was last month when Spurs, ravaged by injuries in defence, were taken apart by a rampant Reds side that showed no mercy. Since then, Liverpool have beaten Leicester City (3-1) and West Ham United (0-5) and drawn against Manchester United (2-2), while Spurs have lost to Nottingham Forest (1-0) and Newcastle United (1-2) either side of a 2-2 draw at home against Wolves.

Spurs' last win came in the Carabao Cup as they beat Man United 4-3 in the quarter-finals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 19, and it's now just three victories in their last 14 games across all competitions; the first of those was a 4-0 thrashing of an out-of-sorts Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on November 23, and the other a 5-0 demolition job of rock-bottom Southampton at St Mary's Stadium on December 15.

Liverpool, meanwhile, have lost just once since the appointment of Slot as Jurgen Klopp's successor and are unbeaten in their last 24 matches, 20 of which they have won.

It remains to be seen just how strong a starting lineup Slot names on Wednesday following Sunday's exertions against Man United, but with an FA Cup tie at Anfield against League 2 Accrington Stanley on Saturday, the Dutchman is unlikely to make wholesale changes knowing he can give his star players a rest on the weekend.

Either way, Spurs are still struggling with injuries, especially in defence, and I just can't see how they avoid defeat on Wednesday with their open approach likely to be exploited by the visitors again.

Player Goals - Diogo Jota (LIV) Anytime Goalscorer

It's anyone's guess as to what Liverpool's front three will look like in midweek but one attacker I fully expect to start is Diogo Jota who, since returning from injury in mid-December, has made six consecutive substitute appearances, scoring twice (v Fulham and West Ham). It's surely time for the Portugal international to get significant minutes in the tank and thus he should start at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Jota has a good goalscoring record against Spurs having struck three times in seven games against them, most recently netting a dramatic winner in Liverpool's 4-3 victory at Anfield in April 2023. His last appearance against Postecoglou's side was a disastrous one, however, as, after coming off the bench at the start of the second half at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, he lasted less than 25 minutes before being sent off for two bookable offences.

That dismissal in Liverpool's defeat, coupled with a desire to make himself a starter in this Reds side under Slot, should ensure the 28-year-old is suitably motivated to cause some destruction to the Spurs defence on Wednesday.

Three of Liverpool's front four - Diaz, Mohamed Salah (both two) and Dominik Szoboszlai - scored in the Merseyside club's last trip to N17 and I expect Jota to have plenty of opportunities to net at least once in this Carabao Cup first leg.

Player Stats - Conor Bradley (LIV) 1+ Shots

Like Jota, Reds right-back Conor Bradley has spent a significant period in the treatment room this season, only making his comeback from an eight-game layoff in Sunday's stalemate with Manchester United. He was only introduced for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 86th minute but managed to fire off one shot, which was saved by Red Devils goalkeeper Andre Onana.

Bradley is expected to start at least one, if not both, cup games this week, fitness permitting, and given Alexander-Arnold's horror performance at the weekend, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the Northern Ireland international get the nod from the off on Wednesday.

Even if the 21-year-old doesn't start, he showed on Sunday what he can do with a brief amount of time on the pitch, and so whether he plays 20 minutes or 60, I'm still confident he can muster at least one attempt at goal.

Bradley is averaging 0.8 shots per Premier League game this season, down from 1.1 last season but that can be explained by just one of his league outings coming as a starter. His last start for the club was in the Uefa Champions League against Real Madrid on November 27 and before being substituted through injury he shot twice against the reigning European champions, hitting the target with his second effort.

Alexander-Arnold has started at right-back in Liverpool's last two games against Spurs, recording four shots in the Reds' 4-2 victory at Anfield in May last year and seeing an attempt saved in their win over the Lilywhites last month. Opposition full-backs know there is space in behind this Spurs side and Bradley can certainly exploit that, getting at least one shot off.

Player Stats - Rodrigo Bentancur (TOT) 1+ Shots

Like Liverpool, it's difficult to be too sure about Spurs' starting XI for this first leg, but after missing eight of his side's last 12 games through suspension, including Saturday's defeat to Newcastle, I'm confident Uruguyan midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur will selected from the start in midweek.

The 27-year-old scored in his last outing for the club, netting Spurs' first in a 2-2 draw with Wolves on December 29 before picking up a one-match ban for a fifth league yellow card of the season. His strike at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was his second this term and he is averaging 1.1 shots per game in the Premier League, taking two in the first 12 minutes against Wolves.

Spurs mustered nine attempts against Liverpool last month and two of those came from Senegal international Pape Matar Sarr, who Bentancur could either replace, or play alongside, in midfield on Wednesday.

Given I am more optimistic over Bentancur's involvement from the start against Liverpool, it makes more sense for me to back the former Juventus man to shoot at least once against Slot's side, rather than Sarr who could be utilised from the bench.

Total Stats - Over 6.5 Offsides

Rounding off this five-legged Bet Builder are offsides, and I'm backing there to be at least seven between these sides on Wednesday. That might sound like a high number but there were eight (four each) in December's head-to-head and nine (seven for Liverpool, two for Spurs) in their only other meeting last year.

Neither side likes to sit deep and that should result in an end-to-end encounter, a bit like we saw in last month's thriller at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Liverpool could also hand a start, or significant minutes, to Uruguay international Darwin Nunez, who remained rooted to the bench in N17 last time out. Despite starting in just seven of his 15 Premier League appearances this season, averaging 51 minutes per game, the 25-year-old ranks among the top 20 players for offsides, being whistled eight times for advancing the wrong side of the defence.

Nunez should help swell those offside numbers and even if we don't hit the dizzy heights of eight or nine, I think we can come very close, so over 6.5 offsides appeals.

Offers

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