Andoni Iraola programme notes: Carabao Cup aims, Tottenham tie and Anfield 'privilege'

Andoni Iraola is aware of Liverpool's rich history in the Carabao Cup and wants to use the advantage of playing at Anfield to progress to the fourth round of this season's edition.

Andoni Iraola programme notes: Carabao Cup aims, Tottenham tie and Anfield 'privilege'

The Reds begin their latest journey in a competition they have won an unrivalled 10 times when Tottenham Hotspur arrive tonight for a round-three tie.

As a busy period continues, Iraola's side are also seeking a return to winning ways after a goalless Premier League draw with Fulham at the weekend.

"I said after Saturday's draw against Fulham that we need to adapt to the challenge of playing fixtures close together and tonight's game gives us a chance to start taking steps on that journey," the head coach writes in his notes for the official matchday programme.

"There is no point making excuses or complaining about the time that we have to recover. This kind of situation is going to happen many times this season, so we have to face it and make the best of it.

"This doesn't necessarily mean I expect us to be at our very best in every single game that we play, but we should certainly be aiming for higher performance levels than we were able to reach at the weekend and we should also be finding ways to win.

"I say this because we want to be playing in the Champions League for as long as we can this season and we also want to be in the cup competitions for as long as we can.

"In these circumstances, adapting to a quick turnaround in games is clearly not only something we want to be good at – it is an absolute necessity.

"Football will not wait for us either so the sooner we can meet this challenge the better. Ideally, that would be tonight because that would definitely improve our chances of making it through to the next round of the Carabao Cup.

"This is a competition, like all of the others, that we want to do well in. This will be the same for all of the participating clubs, of course, but our history in the Carabao Cup in all of its many guises gives us an extra incentive because we know what it means to Liverpool and to our supporters.

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"At the time of writing these notes, it is still too early to say which team I will select. This will depend on so many factors like recovery, how we train, the availability of players and the wider demands of this week as a whole, but the one guarantee I can make is that the team will be picked with the aim of giving us the best chance of making progress.

"We have a number of players who deserve more minutes than I have been able to give them up to this point so that will come into my thinking, particularly as we also have players who have already given a lot.

"But as I said, whatever team takes to the field will be one that I fully believe is ready to perform and equipped to take on a Tottenham team which also wants to reach the next round.

"The advantage we have is that we are at home. I have spoken many times of the advantage that Anfield can give to us – but only if we use it in the right way. We know that if we push as a team the people will be with us. That is a given.

"Every single Liverpool supporter who attends tonight's game will be doing so because they want to see us perform and to give us as much help as possible to do that.

"This is not a pressure, it is a privilege, one that we should and will embrace, not just tonight but in every game that we play."

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