One of the best things about the English Premier League is that it regularly provides us with massive fixtures. Not too long ago we had Liverpool v Manchester United and we have also had matches such as Chelsea v Manchester City and Arsenal v Chelsea of late too.
This Thursday though there is an absolutely massive game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London. The home side face a Liverpool team in desperate need of a positive result after five Premier League games without a win and three defeats in their last four games.
Given the two teams current position in the Premier League table, and with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Leicester City starting to open up a little bit of a gap at the top of the table, it is safe to say that this game is absolutely vital for both teams.
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Let’s now take a look at why Thursday night’s game is so vital for both teams, starting with a look at the current Premier League table.
Premier League Top 7 – As of Tuesday 26th January 2021
As you can see, Liverpool and Spurs do face the prospect of not just dropping off the pace being set by the top three, but also being caught by a number of teams below them. You can also add Aston Villa to the top seven shown here with the Villains having at least a couple of games in hand over most of the teams shown in the table.
With only the top four guaranteed a Champions League place next season, it is imperative for the two teams that contested the 2019 Champions League final to at least finish in one of those positions and in truth, both will have loftier ambitions of challenging for the title.
Tottenham’s Recent Form – Last 6 Games
Following their 2-0 derby win over Arsenal in November, Spurs underwent a miserable December, losing to Liverpool and Leicester and only managing draws with Palace and Wolves. That saw them drop from being top of the table down into the position they find themselves now.
However, since then they have won five of their last six games, their only blip being a disappointing home draw with Fulham last week. They have also claimed a place at Wembley in the Carabao Cup Final after beating Brentford in their semifinal.
They come into this game though having played Monday night in the FA Cup earning a 4-1 win away to Wycombe Wanderers to move into the Fifth Round.
Jose Mourinho will certainly be delighted at the way his team has bounced back following their December disappointment and we know that after Roberto Firmino’s late goal at Anfield won the game for Liverpool back in December, he will have a point to prove here.
Liverpool’s Recent Form – Last 6 Games
Fourth-placed Liverpool seemed set to roll on as Champions after they defeated Spurs 2-1 at home and then Crystal Palace 7-0 on the road back in December. However, a home draw with West Brom afterwards was the prelude to a miserable run of form for the Reds.
A draw at Newcastle followed, followed by a 1-0 defeat at Southampton. A 4-1 FA Cup win over Aston Villa sounds more impressive than it was, given it was against what was an Aston Villa youth side. The Reds then barely held Man Utd to a 0-0 draw at Anfield, before they lost their 68-game unbeaten home record last week to Burnley.
Then this past weekend they went down 3-2 in the FA Cup Fourth Round to Manchester United at Old Trafford. A run that has seen them collect just three points out of the last 15 available and has seen them eliminated from the FA Cup.The Reds have now lost three of their last five games in all competitions.
This is probably the toughest time as Liverpool manager for Jurgen Klopp. With injuries in defence, and no prospect of a player being brought in to strengthen their defensive options, it looks like it is going to be a very tough next few weeks for the Reds with a number of difficult fixtures coming up, just as his team has hit rock bottom form.
Tottenham v Liverpool Head To Head
The teams have played 176 times in total over the years. Spurs have won just 48 of those games to Liverpool’s 86 and 42 matches between the two have finished as draws.
However, Spurs recent record against the Reds makes for grim reading. Since November 2012, when Spurs defeated Liverpool 2-1 at their then home ground White Hart Lane, the teams have played 18 times. Spurs have won just one of those games, a 4-1 win in October 2017.
Liverpool have come out on top in 14 of those matches with four draws in total. The Reds have won all of the last six games between the teams, four of those matches by a 2-1 scoreline. That run includes the biggest game between the two the 2019 Champions League Final, which Liverpool won 2-0.
Back in December, Liverpool won the clash at Anfield 2-1 between the teams. Mo Salah handed Liverpool the lead before Son Heung-Min levelled for Spurs. The Reds then grabbed a winner in the last minute thanks to Roberto Firmino’s header from a corner.
After the game Jose Mourinho promptly stated that the ”best team lost” much to Jurgen Klopp’s amusement and bemusement. Mourinho will get chance to put that right on Thursday evening.
Probable Team Selections
Tottenham – (4-2-3-1) – Lloris, Aurier, Reguilon, Dier, Alderweireld, Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Bergwijn, Ndombele, Son, Kane
Liverpool – (4-3-3) – Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Robertson, Matip, Fabinho, Milner, Wijnaldum, Thiago, Salah, Firmino, Mane.
Tottenham v Liverpool Odds & Tips
As you can see, despite their shocking form of late, Liverpool are still the clear favourites to win this game and in truth, having watched them play in all of their last seven games live, I find that baffling.
Spurs are at home, they are the team in good form. They have only a small number of players injured, they are confident and they have Jose Mourinho as a manager and plenty of incentive to win this game to leapfrog Liverpool and further dent their title hopes.
For Liverpool, Matip coming in at centre back will help out as they were woefully exposed by Manchester United in this position at the weekend. However, the issues with the front three remain and with Jota out injured, it is hard to see their fortunes changing a great deal here.
I’d back Spurs to win this at 11/5 if you want a Full Time Result market bet. As for the Correct Score, I would go for a 2-1 win for Tottenham, which is an 11/1 shot and Harry Kane to score anytime, which is a 10/11 shot with bet365, is always a good shout. The England striker and captain has a good record against the Reds over the years.
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