Trent Alexander-Arnold ruled out of Liverpool's Carabao Cup showdown with Tottenham as Arne Slot issues honest injury update

Alexander-Arnold sustained a thigh injury during Liverpool’s 4-0 win over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, with young right-back Conor Bradley replacing him in the 70th minute. However, initial medical tests ruled out any serious damage, per The Athletic, and Liverpool remain hopeful that he will not face a long spell on the sidelines.

Speaking ahead of Thursday’s League Cup semi-final second-leg clash with Tottenham, which will see Liverpool try to overturn a 1-0 aggregate deficit, Slot confirmed Alexander-Arnold's absence, but left the door open for him to return for an FA Cup fourth round tie against Plymouth this weekend.

"He is going to miss tomorrow and we have to see if he can play Sunday but he is not available tomorrow," Slot told reporters.

"I think you saw he left the pitch with a bit of a pain in his leg, so that is why he misses tomorrow. He is already on the pitch with the rehab coach, let's see how long it takes."

With Alexander-Arnold sidelined, Bradley will continue to deputise for him in Liverpool’s starting XI. The 21-year-old has already stepped up in high-profile matches, having featured in the Champions League against PSV Eindhoven and the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final against Tottenham. Slot now has backed him to handle the challenge again against Spurs, but has also outlined areas he can improve.

"He [Bradley] played against Spurs [in the first leg] back then too. Every game and session there is something to learn and if not, it wasn't a good session from me," Slot said.

"I think we played PSV a good game with the team who hardly ever played and we did concede three goals. It's something on the feedback we gave. He wasn't involved in every goal but he was in one [of them] in my opinion. He wasn't aggressive enough which led to the third goal."

Liverpool will need a strong performance against Tottenham at Anfield to overturn the first-leg result and advance to the League Cup final. After Sunday's FA Cup clash with Plymouth, the Reds will start preparing for a Premier League derby encounter against Everton on February 12 as the fixture list continues to pile up.