Liverpool vs Tottenham Preview: Reds Look to Capitalise on Spurs Crisis

Liverpool welcome a struggling Tottenham side to Anfield, knowing a win is vital for their push towards Champions League qualification, while Spurs arrive in the midst of a damaging run that has dragged them towards the relegation fight.

The fixture brings back memories of last season, when Liverpool sealed the title with a 5–1 victory over Tottenham at Anfield. While there will be no trophy lift this time, the home side will see this as an opportunity to regain momentum.

Arne Slot’s team had built some rhythm with three straight Premier League wins over Sunderland, Nottingham Forest and West Ham United before André’s late deflected winner condemned them to a 2–1 defeat at Molineux, leaving Liverpool three points outside the top four.

They responded with an FA Cup victory over Wolves, but suffered another setback in midweek, losing 1–0 to Galatasaray in the first leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie.

Defeat this weekend would represent Liverpool’s 10th league loss of the season, something they have not reached since the 2015–16 campaign. However, Tottenham’s current form suggests this could be a favourable opportunity for the Reds.

Tottenham’s Difficult Run Continues

Spurs are the worst-performing side in the Premier League over the last six games, collecting just one point from a possible 18.

Their problems deepened in midweek when they were beaten 5–2 by Atlético Madrid, extending Igor Tudor’s miserable start to four defeats from four matches since replacing Thomas Frank — the worst start of any Tottenham manager in the club’s history.

The North London side have now lost six successive matches in all competitions and are winless in 11 Premier League games.

They have also been beaten in each of their last five league outings, placing them on the brink of matching some of the worst losing runs in the club’s history.

The longer-term numbers are equally concerning.

Since the start of last season, Spurs have won just 18 league matches, with only Wolves recording fewer victories among ever-present Premier League clubs.

They have conceded 111 goals in that period, while their expected goals against (xGA) figure of 108.0 is the worst in the division.

Liverpool Looking to Maintain Top Four Push

Liverpool’s own issues have centred around conceding late goals.

They have already lost five Premier League matches to 90th-minute winners this season, the most by any side in a single campaign.

Despite those frustrations, Liverpool remain firmly in the race for Champions League qualification, and the Anfield crowd is expected to provide strong backing.

Tottenham’s away form offers one small positive.

They have collected 19 of their 29 league points on the road, meaning 66 percent of their points have come away from home one of the highest such ratios in Premier League history.

Team News

Liverpool are hopeful Alisson Becker will return after missing the trip to Turkey with a muscle injury, while Federico Chiesa should also be available again following illness.

However, Giovanni Leoni, Conor Bradley, Wataru Endo and Alexander Isak remain unavailable, while Florian Wirtz continues to be carefully managed due to a back issue.

Tottenham’s injury problems are significantly more severe.

Micky van de Ven is suspended, while both Cristian Romero and João Palhinha are unavailable following a clash of heads against Atlético Madrid.

Yves Bissouma is also ruled out, Destiny Udogie continues to recover from a thigh injury, and Conor Gallagher faces a late fitness test.

Long-term injuries to Lucas Bergvall, Ben Davies, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Dejan Kulusevski, James Maddison and Wilson Odobert mean Tottenham could be without as many as 13 players for the trip to Anfield.

Match Outlook

With Liverpool chasing a top-four place and Tottenham desperately trying to halt their slide, the contrast in objectives and current form makes this a crucial fixture for both sides.