Liverpool v Tottenham Hotspur Match Preview – 4th February 2018

Liverpool v Tottenham Preview

Although Spurs might be the visiting side, they can’t afford to be too cagey if they want to make their return back into the top four. There is little reason to think they will be however. Games between these sides have often been end to end and they’ve both produced a lot of high quality attacking football this season. Pochettino will be keen for his men to attack but he needs to be way of the Anfield effect. The Argentine saw his side tear through the Reds at Wembley but at home in the league Liverpool are unbeaten, conceding 15 fewer goals than on their travels.

That said, the visitors should not be quaking in their boots ahead of this game. While Liverpool looked brilliant for much of their 4-3 win against City, there haven’t been quite so impressive since. A 1-0 defeat to Swansea followed the triumphant display against the league leaders in a game where the loss of Phillipe Coutinho was noticeable. Then came a 3-2 home defeat to West Brom in the FA Cup despite a very strong line-up being fielded. Jurgen Klopp avoided a hat-trick of defeats by seeing off Huddersfield mid-week but the Terriers put Liverpool under very little pressure and made life so easy for them.

Tottenham will not back off Liverpool like Huddersfield did and we could well see them employ similar tactics to the ones used during their 2-0 win over Man Utd. The scoreline does not tell the whole picture of the game as Spurs absolutely battered Mourinho’s men, flooding forward with wave after wave of attack. The likes of Alli, Son and Eriksen found so much space for themselves in what was a vintage performance from the Londoners. Spurs are now unbeaten in nine matches are will be brimming with confidence coming into what is a very challenging month for them.

Relevant Stats, Injuries and Suspensions

Tottenham’s 4-1 win over Liverpool earlier in the season was their first win against the Reds since 2012 and the first time Mauricio Pochettino had the beating of Jurgen Klopp. Liverpool did at least manage to add to their impressive scoring record during the loss thanks to Mohamed Salah’s strike. The Merseysiders have now found a way past the Spurs defence on 11 of the 12 occasions and the way they’ve been scoring this season makes you think they can extended this record. With 57 goals from 25 league games, only Man City boast better attacking stats although there is a slight concern their pace of goals might slow following the departure of Phillipe Coutinho.

Although the Brazilian is no longer on the books, the Reds aren’t missing any of their attackers for this game. Creative midfielder Adam Lallana is however a major doubt but even if fit there might not be a place for him in the starting eleven. Liverpool’s only other two names on the injury list are defensive ones, Nathaniel Clyne who is recovering from surgery and Ragnar Klavan who has a minor muscle issue. Much like their opponents, Tottenham aren’t faced with many injury concerns ahead of this clash either. Serge Aurier and Toby Alderweireld are both very close to making their returns and the young Harry Winks is in contention to feature as he attempts to shake off an ankle problem.

Liverpool v Tottenham Tips

You might think that Tottenham are worth backing following their wonderful performance against Man Utd but you ought to be concerned with their away record against the ‘top six’. Since Pochettino took charge of the club they’ve lost 11 of their 18 matches against top six sides, wining just once. This makes them rather unappealing for the win but there’s enough reason to think they can grab a draw here, a result you can back at 14/5 with BetVictor. If things do end up all square, it’s unlikely to be a bore draw. Both sides have so much attacking talent that goals will flow in this game and backing both teams to score looks to be a very safe bet at 8/15 with Coral.