Tottenham manager Roberto De Zerbi says Mohammed Kudus is ready to start Tuesday’s EFL Cup third-round tie against Liverpool at Anfield.
Asked before the match whether Kudus and James Maddison were fit enough to return to the lineup, De Zerbi said: “Kudus can start because, in terms of physical condition, he is better. James is not yet.”
Kudus has been worked back into the squad gradually following a quad injury that sidelined him for the end of last season and during Ghana’s World Cup run. He returned to action in late August and has come on as a substitute in three straight games, most recently in Saturday’s scoreless draw with Everton. De Zerbi now feels the 25-year-old is ready for a starting role and could feature against Liverpool, with Kudus in contention for any of the three attacking midfield spots in the manager’s 4-2-3-1 setup.
Maddison isn’t quite there yet — he fractured his shoulder in the season-opener against Brentford, missed the next three matches, and only returned as a late substitute this past weekend.
Richarlison left out again
Richarlison won’t be part of the squad for the Liverpool game, even though cup rules would allow him to play. The Brazilian was excluded from Tottenham’s 25-man Premier League squad but remains eligible for domestic cup matches — yet De Zerbi has already ruled him out of the Anfield trip, fueling concerns he could go without competitive minutes for months.
Spurs are also dealing with a lengthy injury list, missing Pedro Porro, Sandro Tonali, Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, Mykhailo Mudryk, and Dejan Kulusevski.
With Kudus now in line to start, Tottenham will be hoping his return can give their attack a much-needed lift against Liverpool.
