The Independent

Tottenham host Liverpool in Saturday’s late kick-off in the Premier League, with the hosts looking for an unlikely win against the champions to ease the pressure on under-fire boss Thomas Frank.

The Dane has overseen a turbulent opening few months of the season in north London – with the 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest last week Spurs’ sixth in the league – but reports suggest his job is still safe.

And while a win over Liverpool this weekend would certainly buy Frank more time, the Reds arrive in the capital in improved form, with Arne Slot’s side having won their last two matches, including against Brighton last time out.

Slot seems to have steadied the ship somewhat at Anfield, even though the Mohamed Salah saga still hangs over the club, but a loss to a struggling Spurs could see the pressure piled back on the Dutchman this evening.

Liverpool face a test of their recent resurgence as they visit a Tottenham side desperate for a result in the Premier League to ease the pressure on Thomas Frank.

Spurs were beaten 3-0 by Nottingham Forest last weekend, in what was a potentially damaging blow after back-to-back wins over Brentford and Slavia Prague.

Liverpool defeated Brighton 2-0 last Saturday in Mohamed Salah’s last game before departing for the Africa Cup of Nations, with Arne Slot’s side showing signs of steadying the ship.

After a dismal run of results, Liverpool have won back-to-back games and are unbeaten in five matches - while Hugo Ekitike has come into form with four goals in his last two league appearances.

Here’s everything you need to know.

When is Tottenham v Liverpool?

The match kicks off at 5:30pm on Saturday 20 December at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

How can I watch it?

It will be shown live on Sky Sports Main Event and Premier League, with coverage starting from 5pm.

What is the team news?

Pape Sarr has gone to the Africa Cup of Nations while Thomas Frank continues to deal with a lengthy injury list that includes James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Liverpool will be without Mohamed Salah, as well as Cody Gakpo, Joe Gomez and Jeremie Frimpong. Conor Bradley returns from suspension but Dominik Szoboszlai is a doubt.

Possible line-ups

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Porro, Van de Ven, Romero, Spence; Bentancur, Gray, Simons; Kudus, Richarlison, Odobert

Liverpool XI: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Jones; Wirtz; Isak, Ekitike

Tottenham vs Liverpool betting tips

Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday as both sides continue to navigate very different crises this weekend.

Arne Slot has steadied the ship with recent wins over Inter Milan and Brighton but the future of Mohamed Salah still hangs over Anfield despite the Egyptian’s return to the squad, with little known about his future once he returns from the Africa Cup of Nations.

Meanwhile, there is even more scrutiny on Spurs and Thomas Frank after the Dane saw his side lose 3-0 away to Nottingham Forest last week, with that result bringing the third loss in the last five league games for the Lilywhites.

This weekend’s match is the first in a potentially tough run of fixtures for the hosts, who have Crystal Palace and Brentford to come over the Christmas period, but a win feels almost as vital for Slot and Liverpool as it does for Spurs, with Salah’s absence once again turning the focus onto performances as well as results at Anfield.

Thankfully for the Dutchman, this match comes at a good time to face Spurs, with their own recent performances meaning betting sites have early Premier League odds as low as evens for a Reds win, compared to a healthy price for a home victory.

Tottenham vs Liverpool prediction: Liverpool to continue winning rebuild

Both sides come into this match with problems of their own, though in recent weeks their mixed form has shown that both struggle to defend well for 90 minutes.

Tottenham have conceded seven goals across their last five matches, with the match before that seeing them conceded five away to PSG, and as Forest showed last week, even less gifted attacking units can hurt this Spurs side.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have conceded four across their last five, though the 4-1 loss to PSV at home showed that the Reds can make mistakes too, and the draws to Sunderland and Leeds, in which they conceded four across two matches, show that they are still susceptible to leaking soft goals, especially when playing away.

However, the overall superior quality of each squad should show this weekend, and the Reds come into the game in far better form, having won three of their last five and drawing the other two.

And while both can struggle in defence, Spurs can also struggle with scoring goals at times, which is something Liverpool are capable of even when at their worst, as shown in the 3-3 draw with Leeds.

Overall, the Reds have nine goals in their last five, and considering Spurs’ injuries and absentees, it makes sense that the visitors head into the game as firm favourites, having last lost at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the league in controversial circumstances in September 2023 (when a nine-man side conceded a last-minute goal to lose 2-1).

Football betting sites clearly think the Reds are good value for the win, and while we think they’ll get the three points, we do think both sides will score in north London.

Tottenham vs Liverpool prediction 1: Liverpool to win, both teams to score - 5/2 Ladbrokes

Tottenham vs Liverpool tip: Ekitike to continue scoring streak

The signing of Ekitike caused excitement and confusion in equal measure in some quarters after the arrival of Alexander Isak, but it’s the young Frenchman who has hit the ground running at Anfield, emerging as one of the club’s best attacking options amidst Isak’s struggles.

He seems to have found his stride in recent weeks too, scoring four in his last two after bagging braces against both Leeds and Brighton while playing striker in his Swedish teammate’s absence, and he now has 10 goals across 23 appearances so far since joining the Reds.

Isak could make a return to the starting line-up this week but if he doesn’t then Ekitike will once again lead the line, but even if the 23-year-old does not play as a lone striker as he did against Leeds and Brighton, he’ll have plenty of attacking involvement in the absence of Salah and potentially Dominik Szoboszlai, so we’re backing him to stay in the goals in the capital this weekend.

Tottenham vs Liverpool prediction 2: Hugo Ekitike to score anytime - 11/8 Bet365

Tottenham vs Liverpool team news

Tottenham: The hosts will be missing at least eight players this weekend, with James Maddison a long-term absentee and Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma away on Afcon duty.

Kota Takai, Radu Dragusin and Dejan Kulusevski continue their recoveries from respective knee injuries, while Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie are not expected back until the New Year.

Liverpool: Salah is the main absentee for the visitors, with the Egyptian on international duty with Egypt, while Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo remain out.

Joe Gomez and Dominik Szoboszlai will face late assessments after being forced off in the win over Brighton, though Jeremie Frimpong has returned to training and could make a return to the matchday squad,

Tottenham vs Liverpool predicted line-ups

Tottenham: Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Gray; Johnson, Simons, Kolo Muani; Richarlison.

Liverpool: Alisson; Bradley, Konate, van Dijk, Kerkez; Gravenberch, Jones; Szoboszlai, Mac Allister, Wirtz; Ekitike.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Micky van de Ven claims that Alexander Isak is the best striker he has faced in the Premier League, with the Dutchman labelling the Liverpool man as “top class”.

Van de Ven joined Spurs in the summer of 2023, and has faced the likes of Erling Haaland and Mo Salah during his time in north London, though he named Isak as the best attacking player he has come up against.

The Swedish striker has scored six times in five appearances against Spurs, grabbing braces on two occasions, though only one of these games saw him face van de Ven, with the Dutchman absent for the other four fixtures.

When asked who his toughest opponent has been, the Dutchman highlighted Isak and the Sweden striker’s performance in Newcastle’s 4-0 win over Spurs in April 2024.

“The game we played against Newcastle, the one where I slipped, this game [Alexander] Isak was a different level,” he explained.

“At this point, I was like, ‘he’s a top-class player’. I knew he was top class but this game, I was like...[scoffs].

“He can run in behind, he can come onto the ball, he’s technical, he’s also really good with the ball, he’s fast, he has a top finish, at that point he was literally everywhere,” he added.

Isak scored two goals for the Magpies in that 4-0 win, with the 26-year-old going on to establish himself as one of the best strikers on the continent before his £125m move to Liverpool this summer.

The striker arrived at Liverpool alongside £116m signing Florian Wirtz, but the duo have failed to hit the ground running at Anfield, with their arrival coinciding with a period of difficult form for Arne Slot’s champions.

Meanwhile, van de Ven and Spurs have seen change come this season after the club appointed Thomas Frank to take over from Ange Postecoglou, though the club currently sit 11th after just six wins from 16 games.

Tottenham defender Micky van de Ven has revealed that members of the Spurs squad implored manager Ange Postecoglou to change tactics towards the end of their successful Europa League campaign last season.

Spurs won their first trophy in 17 years under Postecoglou with a win a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final back in May, though the Australian was subsequently sacked after steering the club to a 17th-placed finish in the Premier League.

Postecoglou’s tactics repeatedly came under scrutiny during his time in north London, with Spurs sometimes criticised for seemingly not being able to sit back and defend draws or leads.

And Van de Ven agreed that Spurs “didn’t really have a Plan B” sometimes, with the players consistently “getting exposed” as they “didn’t really have solutions”.

“In games where we were 1-0 up, we can’t keep playing our football, sometimes we need to just sit back, make sure no one comes through us,” explained Van de Ven on the Overlap.

“Me and Cuti [Cristian Romero] were playing only the Europa League games last season. At one point, we just walked up to the gaffer and said that we need to change some things and play more defensive sometimes, we need to make sure we win those games,” added the Dutchman.

“We played away at Frankfurt and were 1-0 up, and we can’t keep attacking, we just need to come back and have a low block and make sure we go to the next round,” he explained.

“We sat with him and he agreed with us on some things and he said, ‘I expect you two guys to sort this on the pitch – to make sure that this is something everybody knows’, and to speak with everybody on the pitch.

“In the meetings, he said that we were going to change some things sometimes in different situations. He said to me and Cuti personally, ‘You guys make sure the other guys listen to you, you have a reputation in the team, everybody respects you and knows how important you guys are, so make sure the guys follow what we say on the pitch.’”

Spurs eventually beat Frankfurt 1-0 away to seal a 2-1 win in the quarter-final of the Europa League, and they went on to beat Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals before the final against United in Bilbao.

When asked about the mentality and tactics going into that game, Van de Ven explained: “We spoke with Ange before the final, everybody knew that we need to win a trophy, it doesn’t matter how we’re going to do it.

“Even then Ange said at the beginning that we need to play from the back and do what we always do, but when it came to half-time and we were 1-0 up, Ange just said: ‘Keep pressing but when it doesn’t work out just drop back and make sure we lock it, make sure they don’t come through.’”

Spurs ran out 1-0 winners at the San Mames, courtesy of a goal from Brennan Johnson, though the result was not enough for Postecoglou to keep his job.

Despite this, Van de Ven was complimentary of his former boss, stating that he firmly believed in the tactics and system.

“When the results were getting down, Ange was really focused on his system, he really believed in his system, and to this day I believe in his system because I think we played some unbelievable football. So, the system works, but at some points I think we needed to adapt a bit more,” he added.

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank expects to be given time to turn his side's problems around after insisting there is "no quick fix" following a 3-0 Premier League defeat at Nottingham Forest.

A costly mistake playing out from the back was punished by Callum Hudson-Odoi, who then scored with an overhit cross as goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario was caught out of position.

The forlorn Italy international could not do anything to keep out Ibrahim Sangare's wonder goal as Spurs put in a wretched performance and endured a desperate afternoon by the Trent.

The clouds had appeared to be lifting after a draw at Newcastle and wins over Brentford and Slavia Prague but this was as bad as it has been under Frank, who insisted things would not turn around overnight.

Asked if he would be given time to implement his idea, the Dane said: "I can't see why not. I think it's pretty evident that if no one gets the time, no one can turn this around. This is not a quick fix."

He added that, while he may appear cool, he is hiding a "hurricane" inside him.

"I do everything to control my emotions, which is a hurricane inside me, because, of course, it's deeply frustrating that we are not doing better today after three good performances," he said.

"I think it is extremely important to be calm and measured and of course, have very, very direct and clear messages at the right time, so they're not in doubt of what I think.

"I'm very honest about where we are as well. I was also very honest, today was a very bad performance, no two ways about that.

"But I also know that to change this will take some time. No one will want to hear about that. It's just reality.

"I think the ones who have followed the club and the team, I think it's fair to say there's been a few not too consistent performances and that's the thing. We are working very hard."

Frank did absolve hapless goalkeeper Vicario of any blame for the opening goal, even though his pass to Archie Gray put the Spurs midfielder under pressure.

"I think you see that every week in the Premier League and from every team all over the world," Frank added. "So, there's no problem with that.

"It is a classic thing you see week in, week out. A ball playing to one of the two sitters, bounce it up first touch, not take a touch.

"You learn from that, I'm pretty sure he will use one touch next time."

While Spurs put in a shocking performance, this was probably the best for Forest under new boss Sean Dyche, whose side moved five points clear of the drop zone.

"Overall, it was probably our best (performance) because of the balance of play," he said.

"When we had to defend, we did. When we could play, we did. When we had to clear our lines and do the basics, we did."

Dyche is usually pragmatic when his side scores, but even he allowed himself to celebrate Sangare's stunner, not that he admitted it.

"I'll have to look at that back," he joked. "I'll have to get the VAR to have a check on that. I'm disappointed in myself if I have got involved in that nonsense."

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has confirmed the club is addressing a new disciplinary matter concerning midfielder Yves Bissouma, following allegations that the player inhaled nitrous oxide for a second time in two seasons.

Bissouma has not featured under Frank since August, having been dropped before the Super Cup due to repeated lateness, and has since been sidelined by multiple fitness issues.

The Mali international, who underwent ankle surgery in October, now faces further scrutiny after a report in The Sun on Saturday showed footage of him allegedly inhaling the substance, widely known as laughing gas.

This marks the second time Bissouma has been embroiled in such a controversy; he previously received a one-match ban at the start of the 2024-25 campaign for a "severe lack of judgement" after being filmed inhaling laughing gas.

Nitrous oxide was classified as a Class C drug in 2023 as part of the UK government’s anti-social behaviour action plan, making its recreational possession an offence.

Speaking ahead of Tuesday’s Champions League fixture against Slavia Prague, Frank stated: "It’s an internal matter that we are dealing with at the moment and when we have dealt with that, then I will comment on it."

Bissouma was already among Tottenham’s absentees, and he will be joined in the treatment room by full-back Destiny Udogie.

"Destiny picked up a hamstring injury in the end of the Newcastle game, so he’s out until January unfortunately," Frank revealed.

A late decision will be made regarding Brennan Johnson’s availability. Frank also addressed the status of long-term absentees Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison, and Dominic Solanke on Monday.

He confirmed that Kulusevski had been granted permission to travel abroad to continue his rehabilitation from a knee injury, while Maddison was seen at open training, even sharing a hug with the Spurs head coach, his return is not imminent.

"It is very early stages, still a long-term injury," Frank said of Maddison’s recovery from anterior cruciate ligament damage. "Good to see him out there but very early stages and there is no specific time frame. It will be a long time unfortunately before he is available."

In a more positive development, Randal Kolo Muani trained on Monday, offering a boost after he limped off during Saturday’s 2-0 victory over Brentford.

That win marked the end of a nearly four-month wait for a Premier League home victory for Tottenham, and Frank is keen for the team to build on this momentum at N17.

Frank added: "It’s always good to build and get the momentum to get more consistent and good performances. We really try to build on that."

When questioned about his side’s prospects of finishing in the top eight, Frank emphasised his immediate focus: "I am more for me about this next game ahead of us."

A woman who demanded money from South Korea’s national team captain and former Spurs star Son Heung-min by claiming she was pregnant with his child was sentenced to four years in jail on Monday for extortion.

The woman, identified only as Yang, was charged with extorting 300 million won ($204,000) from Son in 2024 after sending him an ultrasound photo of a baby that she claimed was his and demanding money to stay silent.

She later conspired with a man, identified as Yong, to try to extort more money from Son.

The Seoul Central District Court on Monday said Yang “lied” to Son, although she hadn’t confirmed whose child she was carrying.

The court said Yang denied the charges of extortion and attempted extortion. Yong, who confessed, was sentenced to two years in prison, according to the court.

South Korean news agency, Yonhap, reported in May that a women in her 20s and a man in his 40s had been detained on suspicion of attempting to blackmail Son in June of last year while he was still at Tottenham.

The defendants used Son's fame and his "vulnerability" to the type of crime they were committing, causing significant mental anguish for him, the court was reported as saying in the ruling.

"[The woman] insists she received the money as compensation and portrays herself as a victim," prosecutors told the court on Monday. "But her claims do not fully match the facts," they said.

Son's representatives could not be reached for comment.

His agency has previously said Son had known the woman but had received a demand for money with fabricated materials, according to South Korean media.

The public affairs judge at the court did not return phone calls seeking confirmation on the sentences. A court official declined to comment.

Tottenham skipper Cristian Romero salvaged a point with a stoppage-time overhead kick to draw 2-2 with Newcastle at St James’ Park.

The hosts put in a controlled first-half display and enjoyed the better chances before eventually breaking the deadlock in the 71st minute through Bruno Guimaraes’ strike.

Although Romero replied only seven minutes later, Newcastle went back in front when referee Tom Bramall was called to the monitor and awarded a penalty, which Anthony Gordon slotted home in the 86th minute.

A dramatic end to the game saw Romero come to Tottenham’s rescue in the fifth minute of added time.

In the opening stages of the game, Harvey Barnes had a cross into the box nodded away and Newcastle were on the hunt again when Lewis Hall hit an effort past the post.

The hosts continued to apply pressure with Nick Woltemade flicking a header over and threatened again when Barnes beat Pedro Porro on the left and his ball reached Lewis Miley, who smashed a shot into the Tottenham defence.

The teenage midfielder had another promising opportunity, but had his first-time effort easily held by Guglielmo Vicario.

Newcastle remained in control, continuing to cause problems around the Tottenham box and Joelinton had an excellent chance to break the deadlock in the 35th minute when his low strike smashed off the far post.

Spurs then had a great chance of their own when Mohammed Kudus’ pass was backheeled over the crossbar and onto the roof of the net by Lucas Bergvall.

Guimaraes came on at half-time and Newcastle nearly struck minutes into the half when Barnes’ strike was saved by Vicario and Woltemade’s header from the rebound was cleared off the line by Kevin Danso.

Murphy’s cross was sent into Hall at the back post, where Porro cleared behind and Spurs safely navigated back-to-back Newcastle corners, which included Vicario making a great punch to clear Guimaraes’ inswinging delivery.

Spurs began to see more of the ball but struggled to test the home defence and the Magpies were soon on the charge, with Guimaraes playing a great cross-field pass into Jacob Murphy who had his shot blocked.

Vicario made a solid punch to clear a Newcastle corner and Tino Livramento’s powerful effort from the rebound was cleared by Brennan Johnson.

The hosts eventually found the breakthrough in the 71st minute when Gordon’s cross was cleared as far as Guimaraes, who hit a brilliant finish into the bottom corner.

Following a triple substitution, with Mathys Tel, Richarlison and Xavi Simons introduced, Spurs suddenly levelled seven minutes later when Kudus’ cross was flicked home by the head of the diving Romero.

A chaotic final 10 minutes saw Newcastle awarded a penalty after Rodrigo Bentancur grappled with Dan Burn at the back post from a corner and Gordon made no mistake from the spot to fire Newcastle back in front in the 86th minute.

There was further drama to follow, however, when Aaron Ramsdale’s punch from a Spurs corner reached Romero and the skipper’s acrobatic overhead effort bounced through the box and into the bottom corner at the death.

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