Liverpool vs Tottenham Hotspur: Match Preview and Prediction

Liverpool are all set to host Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League fixture at Anfield, tonight. Will Spurs break the undefeated home streak of the Reds?

I highly doubt that because Mauricio Pochettino’s side didn’t seem to be in the right mood this season. Spurs have won three out of their nine Premier League fixtures and are currently placed in the 10th position, while Liverpool are the only undefeated side in the league this season and are league leaders now.

In the last Premier League fixture, Liverpool’s 17 game winning streak came to an end after they failed to win the game at Old Trafford. While Tottenham played 1-1 draw against 20th placed, Watford.

Both sides did bounce back in the mid-week Champions League fixture after a disappointing outing in the league. Liverpool thumped Genk 1-4 away from home, while Spurs surprised everybody after defeating Crvena Zvezda 5-0 at home.

The two sides did give a solid performance before the crucial and headlining fixture of this weekend. Spurs, however, are not at all favorites to win this battle and the following stats do support that.

Liverpool are undefeated in their last 42 home matches in the Premier League and are undefeated in 14 out of their last 15 fixtures against Spurs. Also, the Reds have scored at least two goals in their last four meetings with Tottenham and they won both the fixtures 2-1 last season against the visitors.

Key Battles:

Sadio Mane vs Toby Alderweireld

This is going to be a one-sided battle as Sadio Mane is in phenomenal form while Spurs' defensive line has struggled a lot in the current season. The Liverpool winger is currently the highest goal scorer for his side in the league. Mane has scored five goals and provided one assist in his nine appearances in the Premier League.

Toby Alderweireld, on the other hand, has made 1.4 tackles per game and 3.7 clearances in his nine league appearances for Spurs. In the presence of the Belgian in the backline, Tottenham have conceded 13 goals in the ongoing league.

Mane will create a lot of difficulties for Alderweireld with his pace and his understanding with Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino is phenomenal, which will change the result of this game.

Virgil Van Dijk vs Harry Kane

I’m eagerly waiting for this battle as it is going to be a neck to neck affair. Both Virgil Van Dijk and Harry Kane are in great form and that makes this battle more interesting.

Van Dijk has been decent in this season, but we have seen much better performances from him, and his team will also expect him to be at his best, tonight. The Dutchman is averaging 1.2 interceptions per game and 5.2 clearances in every game.

Kane, on the other hand, is the leading goal scorer from his side. The Englishman has scored five goals and provided one assist in his nine league appearances this season.

It will be interesting to see whether the defensive line of Liverpool will stand tall against the ferocious striking of Spurs or not. Kane along with Heung-Min Son can create a lot of difficulties for the Reds. However, if Van Dijk raises his performance bar, then we might not witness a goal from the visitors.

Prediction

The match is going to be played at Anfield, which in itself is a clear advantage for Liverpool. Spurs, however, performed brilliantly in the Champions League fixture and that has boosted the confidence of the team.

Liverpool are a tough side and it won’t be easy for the visitors to defeat them away from home. Also, Tottenham have lost eight out of their last 10 away matches, which clearly depicts the struggle of Spurs away from home.

I’m expecting both sides to score a goal, but Liverpool will find an edge over Pochettino’s side. In addition, I’m expecting Mane to find the back of the net in this fixture.

Predicted score: Liverpool 2 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur