The Premier League returns to our screens this weekend with an absolute cracker on Sunday as table-toppers Liverpool welcome third-placed Tottenham to Anfield. The Reds will be looking to maintain their lead of the Premier League, while Spurs will look to end a four-match winless streak and boost their top-four hopes. Can Spurs hand Liverpool their first home defeat in the league?
Find out what our Editor thinks!
To win
Liverpool 6/10
Draw 31/10
Tottenham 9/2
Liverpool
Liverpool will be looking to climb another hurdle as they continue their quest for a first league title in 29 years. The Reds hold a two-point lead over Manchester City, having played a game more and come into this clash unbeaten in 12 matches in all competitions with seven wins, including three on the bounce.
Jurgen Klopp’s side are unbeaten in their last 36 home Premier League matches, the joint-third longest unbeaten home run in the competition’s history. That run includes 26 wins and 10 draws, with the Reds only behind title rivals Manchester City’s run of 37 matches (between December 2010-December 2012) and Chelsea’s extraordinary run of 86 games (between March 2004-October 2008).
Liverpool’s imperious home form will play a pivotal role in their quest for league glory, having so disappointingly succumbed their advantage at the top due to some lacklustre s
howings on the road in 2019. In their last three league matches at Anfield, Klopp’s side have hit the back of the net 12 times and swept aside the likes of Bournemouth, Watford and Burnley.
If Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette are a frightening duo with 29 league goals between them, then Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah’s form will scare the living daylights out of defences with the pair combining for 34 league goals, with 17 each – one behind top scorer Sergio Aguero. With Mane and Salah in deadly form, not to mention Roberto Firmino, who has 11 goals to his name, Spurs’ backline can’t afford to blink.
In previous seasons, Liverpool were only known for their brilliant forward play but they now have a strong case for boasting the best defence in the Premier League. Klopp’s side have been absolutely solid in defence this season with Virgil van Dijk arguably the club’s standout performer, putting in multiple match-winning performances, while Brazilian shot-stopper Alisson is leading the Golden Glove standings with 17 clean sheets – nine of those coming at Anfield.
Tottenham
The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Tottenham as Mauricio Pochettino’s side had gone four Premier League games without a win. Back-to-back defeats away to Burnley and Chelsea followed with a 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Wembley, before losing 2-1 away to Southampton last time out. Had Aubameyang converted his injury-time penalty for the Gunners, it would have been four consecutive losses for Pochettino’s side.
Tottenham’s last league victory was a 3-1 win over Leicester City at Wembley last month, which was their fourth Premier League win in a row. Following that win, Spurs were in a great position, sitting just five points behind Manchester City and Liverpool, nine ahead of Manchester United and 10 clear of Arsenal and Chelsea.
But due to their slump, Pochettino’s side are now 15 points off leaders Liverpool, 13 behind City and just a point ahead of Arsenal. A defeat against the Reds on Sunday could see the Gunners leapfrog them into third, while fifth-placed United could go level with them if they beat Watford and Chelsea will be just a point behind if they beat relegation-threatened Cardiff.
Spurs will be desperate to get back to winning ways and should they become the first team to beat Liverpool on their turf in the league this season, it will surely give them the confidence they need to finish the season strongly and secure an all-important Champions League spot.
Since joining the north London club in 2014, Pochettino has yet to win at Anfield, losing three from five trips to Merseyside. The last time Spurs beat Liverpool on their turf was in 2011 when goals from Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric gave Harry Redknapp’s side a 2-0 victory. It doesn’t bode well for Spurs, but with their attacking quartet of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen, they always have a chance of winning.
Probable line-ups:
Liverpool: 4-3-3
Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Keita; Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Tottenham: 4-2-3-1
Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Winks, Sissoko; Eriksen, Alli, Son; Kane.
Prediction: Mane to Score Anytime & Liverpool to Win (TBA)
Everything points to a win for Liverpool – Tottenham’s poor form heading into this game, Klopp’s side playing at their ‘fortress Anfield’ where Pochettino has never won since joining Spurs in 2014. The Reds won the reverse tie 2-1 in September and I’m quite confident that they’ll come out on top once more. The home win looks a top bet but for more value, I suggest using Hollywoodbets’ Price Boost & Specials and get on Mane to Score Anytime & Liverpool to win at TBA. The Senegalese forward has scored in each of his last six Premier League games at Anfield.
Chadley Nagel
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