TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR VS. LIVERPOOL
| Sunday, December 22nd |
Premier League | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Spurs seem to be this season’s marathon team, and Sunday’s trip down to north London kicks off a stretch that will see Liverpool playing Spurs three more times after this, after they were drawn together for the semi-final of the League Cup. The Reds, off the back of a win against Southampton and a come from behind draw against Fulham on the weekend will be looking to add rather than subtract from their gap at the top of the table. It seems the worst of our own injury crisis is behind us (it would be nice to get Konate back), and with opponents closing in due to two draws back to back, getting three points and a chance to strike fear into Tottenham will be paramount.
Tottenham, to their credit, are in high scoring form, but have been unable to fully keep their opponents from doing the same, most recently barely holding on to a three goal lead against Manchester United in their midweek match. The injustice of last season’s debacle - yes it was last season - will be hard for Liverpool to shake though, and though it feels like the title is ours to lose at this point, Spurs would be a team that would like to put a roadblock up in those efforts.
Predicted Liverpool Lineup (4-2-3-1)
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Szoboszlai, Jones, Mac Allister; Salah, Núñez, Diaz
Maybe one of the most important aspects is that Andy Robertson will be available for the match after serving his red card suspension against Southampton mid-week. The Reds are also still dealing with a number of impactful injuries, namely Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley still being unable to train with the rest of the squad, but the return of Diogo Jota (and the hopes that he can stay fit) bodes well for our scoring chances.
Spurs, on the other hand, are dealing with a number of injuries including high profile players like Richarlison, Ben Davies, and Micky van den Ven. They have a total of 8 players out through injury, and have been able to make the most of their squad - although questions about goalkeeper Fraser Forster have arisen after his performance against United. Their reliable attackers like Son Heung-Min and now former Liverpool player Dominic Solanke will be looking to cause plenty of problems for our visiting boys.
What the Managers Had to Say
Arne Slot: “They are consistent in their playing style and what they want. For me they are sometimes a bit unlucky as well because what happened [against Manchester United], they dominated the game. They always like to attack.”
Ange Postecoglou: “We are where we are and will progress because of the way we play and I don’t think we need to protect anyone in our team. I think if you go out there and play then you put your hand up to play our way.”
The Officials
Referee: Sam Barrott Assistants: Lee Betts, Wade Smith. Fourth official: Michael Oliver. VAR: Paul Tierney. Assistant VAR: Sian Massey-Ellis.