Liverpool could thrash Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield and set up a clash against Newcastle United in the EFL Cup final, Reds expert David Lynch has argued.
Arne Slot's side will have to overturn a one-goal deficit against Spurs on Thursday if they are to reach Wembley and play Newcastle, who beat Arsenal 2-0 on Wednesday and qualified for the final of the EFL Cup.
Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham won the first leg 1-0 on January 8 and showcased unexpected resilience at the back considering the Reds had managed to beat them 6-3 in the Premier League on December 22.
Lynch believes that the second leg on Thursday is more likely to resemble the sides' league clash despite Spurs' excellent display in the first, telling Sports Mole: "[With] Tottenham's defensive record, I don't think they will be able to keep a clean sheet again. All the injuries Tottenham have got, the fact that they give you a chance with the way they play and the fact Liverpool are stepping it up again.
"I see Liverpool running away with it. If they get an early goal, [they could] make a straightforward night of it, and I don't say that with any disrespect to Tottenham, because I know they've got players who can hurt you - we saw in the first leg, they can make it difficult for you if they want to.
"But there's too many factors against them, which is that Liverpool are playing unbelievably well - as well as anyone in Europe at the moment. They are at home, the Anfield factor at a night game as well. It's going to be too tricky for them to keep a clean sheet and get out of there with something."
Tottenham are likely to be without Radu Dragusin, Dominic Solanke, Guglielmo Vicario, James Maddison, Cristian Romero and a number of other key players on Thursday.
What Tottenham will turn up at Anfield?
Spurs are currently 14th in the league with just 27 points after 24 matchweeks, and though they have won five of their last eight fixtures in all competitions, they lost the other three and have been beaten in six of the past 12.
While Tottenham have scored 48 goals in the Premier League - the joint third best return in the division - they have conceded 37 times, making them the top flight's joint eighth worst defensive side.
Lynch told Sports Mole that Spurs' brand of football will inevitably lead to chances for Liverpool, saying: "Anfield is a different test [than the first leg] entirely. Even if they turn up with [a defensive] mindset, it's too tricky to keep Mo Salah out the game, Luis Diaz, Cody Gakpo, Szoboszlai - all these attacking talents.
"The way that Tottenham press - which there's the debate about whether that causes them injuries - from a purely tactical point of view, they push on so hard a lot of the time that they leave such simple triangles to play around them. It's pretty unbelievable that [Postecoglou's] still doing that.
"A side like Tottenham will press on and give space to run into - that would be foolish. As much as they're going to want to try and make it bitty again, they're [not] going to do those same things, and Liverpool are not going to let them off the hook like they did last time. [Liverpool are] going to get the goals, and if they get one early on, then that really sets it up for Tottenham to get a bit of a pasting."
Liverpool have scored numerous goals from counter-attacks this season, and it would not be surprising to see the likes of Mohamed Salah and Gakpo expose Tottenham's high defensive line.
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Should Liverpool go full strength?
Trent Alexander-Arnold was forced off against Bournemouth during Liverpool's 2-0 win against the Cherries last Saturday and will miss Thursday's match.
However, Alexander-Arnold is Liverpool's only major injury doubt given Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Darwin Nunez have all returned to training in some capacity, while the vice-captain could make his comeback next week against Everton on February 12.
Though Liverpool are still competing on four fronts this term, Lynch believes that the Reds can afford to field as strong an XI as possible on Thursday, telling Sports Mole: "The schedule makes it quite straightforward. It's been like that this season - a lot of things have landed quite nicely. That Christmas period is different to how it used to be.
"Where the FA Cup games land and where the League Cup lands is much nicer than it used to be, so [Slot's] absolutely got the chance to go full strength. [Liverpool] played on Saturday, so they had a massive rest coming into Thursday. They'll have had a couple of days off because Slot always likes to only bring them in to train on match day minus three.
"A couple of days off is a nice bonus for the players. Go full strength into this one, and then the Plymouth game comes after that and I expect full rotation for that one. It's landed pretty nicely, but not particularly nicely for Tottenham because they're going to face a full-strength Liverpool."
Liverpool's next game after facing Tottenham is in the FA Cup on Sunday against Championship side Plymouth Argyle, who are last in 24th place, so Slot will likely feel he is able to rest most of his starting lineup from Thursday on the weekend.
Lewis Nolan
