A revived Liverpool side face a struggling Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening in the Premier League’s headline fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The reigning champions arrive looking to stretch their unbeaten run in all competitions to six matches, while Spurs head into their final game before Christmas under pressure and facing the prospect of an unwanted home record.
Tottenham had appeared to be finding their rhythm under Thomas Frank after a spirited comeback draw with Newcastle United, followed by convincing home victories over Brentford and Slavia Prague. Any optimism was quickly wiped away at the City Ground, however, where Nottingham Forest handed them a sobering reality check.
Ibrahim Sangare and Callum Hudson Odoi ran riot, combining for three goals and three assists in a comprehensive 3-0 defeat that saw Spurs outplayed from start to finish. That result means Tottenham have now lost three of their last five league matches and remain stuck in the bottom half of the table, six points adrift of Chelsea in the race for the final Champions League place.
As pressure mounts, speculation over Frank’s future has grown, even though he is understood to still have the backing of the club’s hierarchy. There are, however, internal concerns, and defeat this weekend would see Tottenham set an unwanted club record of 11 Premier League home losses in a single calendar year.
Recent home form has offered some encouragement, with Spurs winning three and losing only one of their last five matches at their stadium, but that provides little reassurance after the manner of last weekend’s collapse.
Liverpool’s past few weeks off the pitch have been turbulent, yet on the field they found some relief against Brighton last weekend. Mohamed Salah, restored to the squad, came off the bench to assist Hugo Ekitike’s second goal in a 2-0 win and in doing so became the player with the most Premier League goal contributions for a single club, reaching an astonishing total of 277.
With Salah now away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt, Liverpool may take confidence from their recent ability to cope without him, having gone unbeaten in the five matches since he was dropped from the starting lineup. Currently seventh, the Reds could move into the top four depending on other results.
Away from home, defensive issues have been a concern, with only Bournemouth conceding two or more goals in more away games than Liverpool since the start of last season. However, Arne Slot’s side showed resilience on their travels with a 1-0 Champions League win over Inter Milan, and they will also draw belief from their recent dominance over Tottenham, having won the last two meetings by a combined score of 9-1, including the emphatic 5-1 title sealing victory in April.
INJURIES & SUSPENSIONS
Tottenham’s midfield options have been reduced further by Africa Cup of Nations call ups, with Pape Sarr away on duty with Senegal and Yves Bissouma representing Mali. Bissouma, however, was already unavailable due to a combination of injury and suspension.
In terms of fitness, there is still no immediate return in sight for Dominic Solanke, who is struggling with an ankle problem, nor for Dejan Kulusevski, Destiny Udogie or James Maddison, who continues his recovery from an ACL injury. There is slightly more positive news regarding Radu Dragusin and Kota Takai, both of whom have taken part in training ground friendlies and appear to be edging closer to full fitness.
Youngster Archie Gray was partly at fault for Nottingham Forest’s opening goal last weekend, while Rodrigo Bentancur also endured a difficult outing. As a result, Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall could be handed starting roles against the champions.
Liverpool, meanwhile, will be without Mohamed Salah, who has now departed to represent Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations. That absence would have been easier to manage had Dominik Szoboszlai not picked up an ankle injury against Brighton. The Hungarian, who Arne Slot admitted “didn’t look great” after the match, was one of two players forced off, the other being Joe Gomez, who suffered a muscle injury.
There is some relief for Liverpool at the back, with Conor Bradley returning from suspension and available to cover for Gomez. Jeremie Frimpong could also be in contention to return from a thigh issue, but Wataru Endo, Cody Gakpo and Giovanni Leoni are all definitely ruled out through injury.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Simons, Kolo Muani; Richarlison
Liverpool possible starting lineup:
Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Chiesa, Jones, Wirtz; Ekitike
EXPERT PREDICTION
Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
