Liverpool fullback Kostas Tsimikas feels scoring an early goal will be what helps them win their Carabao Cup semifinal against Tottenham.  The Reds will host the second-leg trailing 1-0.  Tsimikas told liverpoolfc.com: “Yes, of course. I think everybody is really ready for this game. Everybody knows it will be a very tough game but I think everybody in this team is ready for every challenge. We just have to play our game and to win the game. “We said our goals from the start that we wanted to win every single trophy we have ahead. The first leg was maybe 20 days ago but we always want to face this team because we lost the first game away and now we play in our home and we want to win the game. ‌”The fans are always there for us and every single step we do they are always there to encourage us and to give us the extra power and extra confidence we need to win the game. Always with Anfield at our backs we are stronger – and we have to show that again.” On Liverpool’s strategy for the night, Tsimikas also said: “My feeling is to score a goal quickly and after it will be a very different game. I think they will try to go higher and try to play from the back, and we have to steal some balls and score. I think this game will be very, very tense – as it was in the first (leg). We don’t want to lose many chances, we want to score goals and to win the game.”

Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are chasing former Manchester United midfielder Angel Gomes, amidst reports that he will leave Lille for free in the summer.  Angel has had an outstanding stint at Lille this term, which earned him an invitation to join the England squad under former interim coach Lee Carsley, who saw that he had potential  Per reports by the Telegraph, any transfers will have to wait until the summer, when he’ll be available to move for free after his contract expires. Top Premier League teams like the Spurs and Hammers have already shown interest in him. They’ll certainly be watching Angel for the rest of the season before deciding where he goes next.  Gomes told L’Equipe that leaving Old Trafford in 2020 was “very difficult” and he would love to rejoin the club if he got the chance. With his contract nearing its end, Manchester United might take him back.  “It was a very difficult decision,” he said. “In my heart, I wanted to leave, in my head, I was thinking of staying. But I had to follow my heart. I felt that I needed to take another step in my career.  “I felt that had I stayed, there wouldn’t be a lot of opportunities for me. Luis Campos (Lille’s then sporting director) and Lille spoke about their project and I believed in it even more, that’s what convinced me to move – the faith Lille had in me.  “Do I imagine myself coming back one day? Obviously, it’s home. I would love to come back. But you never know in football. I just have to keep my feet on the ground, and keep playing, making the most of it. I can’t predict what will happen in the future.”