After a bit of a break with the FA Cup third round, the Premier League resumes and the marque match of the round is definitely Liverpool facing Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The question on most people’s mind is: Can Spurs end Jurgen Klopp’s team’s unbeaten run? With plenty of history between Jose Mourinho and Liverpool, this match has an extra layer of drama and will all unfold within 90 minutes on Saturday the 11th of January.
It’s fair to say that, after the initial “manager bounce” from the Jose Mourinho appointment, Spurs have faded and reverted to old ways. They’ve only won one of their last four matches, a narrow 2-1 win over lower table opposition, Brighton. In that span, they lost to Chelsea at home, drew at Norwich and were beaten by Southampton. Three of those matches were without Son, who received a red card in the Chelsea match. His return provides a much needed boost to the attack, especially when it has been confirmed that striker Harry Kane will be out of action until at least April.
Jose Mourinho’s men currently sit in sixth position on the Premier League table with 30 points – 28 points behind the league leaders, Liverpool – from 21 matches. In those 21 matches, they’ve won eight, drawn six, and lost seven. Seeing as they are playing at home against the most in-form Liverpool team of the last decade, their home form is somewhat reassuring with six wins out of ten matches. They score on average 2.1 goals at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and concede at least one goal per game. They’ve only kept one clean sheet in their last twelve matches, all under Jose.
Marrying the absence of Spur’s leading goalscorer with Liverpool’s upturn in defensive performance, Spurs will have to tinker with their forward line to get any joy out of The Reds. But if there’s any man able to orchestrate the end of Liverpool’s scintillating form, then it’s the self-appointed EPL villain, Jose Mourinho. With depleted resources, however, the tasks may be more daunting than before.
If Liverpool beat Tottenham, they will have earned 61 points from a possible 63 points. Bonkers! That win would set a record of the best ever start to a Premier League campaign eclipsing the mark set by Pep Guardiola’s team in the 2017-18 season. The Reds currently enjoy a 13-point gap over second-placed Leicester City, and 14 points over Manchester City; and they still have a game in hand due to their World Club Cup participation. Such has been the dominance of Jurgen Klopp’s men, that the talk has shifted from if they’ll win the Premier League to if they’ll go unbeaten throughout the season.
In the past five matches, Jurgen Klopp has also shored up the defence. They’ve conceded no goals in their last five matches after only keeping two clean sheets in their first fifteen games of the season. One of the fascinating things about this Liverpool side is that they’ve lost key players to injuries at different points of the season, and yet the team never seem to get flustered. When you tally their form this season from last season, they have won 28 matches from their last 29. The Liverpool team will be raring to go for this match; they’ve enjoyed a nine-day break after Jurgen Klopp fielded a youthful side in the FA Cup win over Everton.
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With a depleted squad, it’s very hard to see Tottenham getting anything out of the match, despite Jose Mourinho’s tactical nous. The fact that Liverpool have been dominant against Tottenham in their recent encounters further buttresses our point. Liverpool have lost only once to Tottenham in their last sixteen matches in all competitions. The Reds have also won their last four encounters against Spurs. For more betting tips and predictions on the match, check out our Tottenham versus Liverpool betting tips page. This match is also part of the Super9ja contest. For more information on the free-to-enter competition take a look at the news section.
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