We could have been looking at a very different game on Saturday after Arne Slot’s sliding doors moment last summer. Tottenham were looking for a long-term successor to Antonio Conte and Slot, then with Feyenoord, looked nailed on to become their new boss. Instead, Spurs dawdled during negotiations and, in the end, Slot stayed with the Dutch club for another season before joining Liverpool. What a decision that was.
Liverpool are now top of the Premier League and Champions League standings and playing some outstanding football.
Tottenham, meanwhile, ended up going for Ange Postecoglou after being rejected by Slot and are still in the same old mess. They sold Harry Kane and have splurged nearly £350m across the last two seasons but their squad still lacks depth and top level quality to challenge the elite.
At Liverpool, Slot has walked into a squad of ready-made winners like Mohamed Salah, who has four goals and three assists in his last four games. Liverpool have invested in players who can make an immediate impact and they’re reaping the benefits. That’s the biggest difference between these two clubs this weekend.
While the Reds are still sitting atop their perch, there has been a small momentum shift in both camps that should keep things interesting this weekend. Liverpool were nine points clear at the top of the table earlier this month. That advantage has narrowed to just two after back-to-back draws against Newcastle and Fulham, which will cause a little bit of anxiety. They still have a game in hand to play, but perhaps teams are slowly sensing Liverpool aren’t bulletproof.
Spurs will certainly feel they have nothing to lose. We saw from their chaotic 4-3 win over Manchester United in the Carabao Cup that they are not afraid to go for the jugular against big teams. We also saw they will always give you a chance after gifting Ruben Amorim’s side two goals. Liverpool will need to have their guard up regardless.
We’re about to witness the team with the best defence come up against the league’s second-highest top scorers in Spurs, so it should be a fascinating duel, especially given both teams competed in the cup in midweek.
Both teams have their frontmen in top form, too. We’ve already talked about Salah, but Cody Gakpo has also enjoyed a superb run in front of goal as well. He has nine goals in all competitions. Tottenham’s Dejan Kulusevski has three in three, while Son Heung-min looks to have arrived at the party with two goals and two assists in his last three.
Liverpool will arrive at Spurs in a confident mood and they have every right. They’ve only lost twice to their London foes in the last decade — a period spanning 20 matches. However, Spurs did win the last encounter at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 2-1 last September.
Tottenham could have as many as nine players out this weekend. Destiny Udogie missed the win over United and faces a late fitness test, while Timo Werner is battling illness. Yves Bissouma is back after serving a suspension. Centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven aren’t back until the New Year.
Liverpool have seen improvement on the injury front after recently getting Alisson Becker and Diogo Jota back. Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate remain out while Kostas Tsimikas is closer to returning. Andy Robertson is available after serving a one-match suspension in the cup against Southampton.
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Tottenham vs Liverpool odds
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — London
Time: 4:30 p.m. GMT (11:30 a.m. ET), Sunday
Streaming (US only): Fubo (try for free)
Form guide (league only)
Tottenham: 7-2-7, 23 points (10th); W-L-L-D-W
Liverpool: 11-3-1, 36 points (1st); D-D-W-W-W
Match prediction
Tottenham 2-2 Liverpool
As we saw on Thursday night, Tottenham can score goals. This season, they have a total of 20 goals against teams in the traditional big six so it would be surprising if their scoring didn’t continue against Liverpool. However, Spurs have also shown they open up themselves as easily as they open up opponents. Liverpool need to play a smart game and not get sucked into a frantic contest like United did. If they drop more points against a fractured Spurs team this weekend then the title race could be blown wide open. Brace yourselves for a Christmas cracker.
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(Photo of Dejan Kulusevski: Shaun Botterill / Getty Images)
