Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will meet on Wednesday night at Anfield in a massive top of the table clash. The two Premier League rivals are both coming off of draws on matchday 12, denting their chances of winning the league title.
Spurs drew 1-1 against Crystal Palace giving Liverpool the chance to move two points above the Londoners. However, the Reds botched their chance of moving ahead of Spurs in the title race by drawing 1-1 versus Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Jose Mourinho’s team are ahead of Liverpool in the table thanks to goal difference. Spurs are +14 in goal difference while Liverpool are +9. The title could come down to goals which currently benefits Spurs who had big scoreline wins against Manchester United and Southampton.
Liverpool can expect Mourinho to park the bus on Wednesday night just as he did versus Chelsea. Spurs and Chelsea finished nil-nil as Mourinho focused on nullifying the Blues’ attack.
Liverpool’s vaunted front three struggled against Fulham’s defence at the weekend as Scott Parker packed the defensive third with five defenders. The Reds couldn’t cope and Mohamed Salah especially had little room to maneuver.
Jurgen Klopp’s team are unbeaten in nine of their last 10 games against Spurs. That includes five straight wins by Liverpool. Last season, the Reds defeated Tottenham 2-1 at Anfield after coming back from being a goal down at halftime.
The last six games in all competitions between these teams saw the score at halftime at 1-0. Liverpool have been winning at both halftime and full-time in 25 of their last 35 home Premier League matches.
Klopp got Alisson Becker back from injury over the weekend and his world-class saves kept Liverpool from being down 3-0 by halftime. While Alisson is back, Klopp has nine players on his injury list. The most significant injured player is Diogo Jota.
The winger was injured on matchday 6 of the Champions League and is now out until February. Joel Matip was hurt against Fulham and could miss the game with a lower back issue.
Kosta Tsimikas, Xherdan Shaqiri, James Milner, and Thiago Alcantara are ruled out through injury. Naby Keita is a doubt for the game, but Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be available off the bench.
Mourinho has just two player fitness issues. Gareth Bale is getting his fitness back after suffering from a cold. He did not test positive for COVID and can return to the team. Meanwhile, Erik Lamela is ruled out with a calf strain.
Seven of the last 10 games in all competitions between these teams finished with both teams finding the back of the net. That trend should continue on Wednesday. Six of the last 10 games ended with over 2.5 goals scored.
Wednesday night’s game should be a thriller with over 2.5 goals scored as Liverpool and Spurs go all-out for the win. In the end, the two rivals should finish in a score draw.