Liverpool FC would be hoping to end their misery on the pitch once and for all when Jurgen Klopp’s under-fire Merseysiders visit the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium on Thursday to face the North London giants.
The Reds’ woeful form of late showed no signs of ending last Sunday at Old Trafford as the Premier League holders suffered a 3-2 loss to Manchester United, crashing out of the FA Cup in the process.
1 – This was Liverpool’s first defeat in 69 Premier League games at Anfield (W55 D13) since losing 1-2 to Crystal Palace in April 2017. It was the second-longest unbeaten home run in English top-flight history, after Chelsea’s 86 games ending in October 2008. Smash. pic.twitter.com/aym7hcTcpF
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 21, 2021
Heading into the midweek game in London, Klopp’s men have endured a terrible run of results in top-flight action and a first home defeat in nearly four years was handed out to the Merseysiders by Burnley last time around in domestic football.
The 1-0 scoreline recorded by the Clarets in their favour suggested that Liverpool FC’s chances of retaining their Premier League crown were quite slim, with injuries to key first-team defensive regulars at Anfield meaning that the morale of the once-brilliant-on-all-fronts Liverpool FC was severely shaken.
Sunday’s showing in Manchester territory initially indicated that the Reds were seemingly on the way to winning ways, only for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s high-flying men to give an apt response through Marcus Rashford’s terrific display on the left flank in either half before Bruno Fernandes’ free-kick in the 80th minutes all but sealed the cup tie for the Old Trafford outfit.
Mohammad Salah’s return to finding the back of the net was much-needed for Klopp and Co. and the 28-year-old’s brace against Manchester United was perhaps the sole comfort given to the Liverpool FC fanbase ahead of a gruelling Premier League fixture list awaiting the 19-time league champions.
A victory over Jose Mourinho’s Spurs would give a major boost to Klopp’s side for climbing up the Premier League ladder but Thursday’s opponents themselves harbour ambitions of getting one over their fellow title-challengers after their previous meeting earlier this season had finished in a well-deserved win for Liverpool FC.
No wins in as many as their last five outings in league action is, by all means, a record Klopp would be pushing for his star-studded squad to change and Thursday’s game can not come any sooner for anxious Liverpool FC supporters hoping for their team to step up on the back of what has been a horrendous slump in form.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Thursday 28 January
Time: 7:30 PM GMT
Venue: Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium
TEAM NEWS
Rhys Williams was drafted into the starting eleven for the FA Cup fixture on Sunday in Joel Matip’s absence and the 19-year-old defender’s showing was quite poor to warrant a successive start come Thursday in London.
No Joel Matip in the squad today. #LFC managing him carefully following his recent return to fitness. Playing three times in a week (Spurs away coming up on Thursday) would have been too big an ask.
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) January 24, 2021
However, reports prior to the Old Trafford showdown had suggested that Matip’s exclusion from the matchday squad was merely a precaution in the aftermath of the first-choice centre-back recently staging a return to the pitch and the Cameroonian was in line to feature against Spurs.
James Milner and Curtis Jones were some of the other fringe first-teamers handed game-time over the past weekend but should Jordan Henderson return to the XI for the forthcoming midweek clash, Milner would be certain to be dropped in favour of the skipper’s restoration to the lineup.
Sadio Mane was yet another name on the bench last time around at Old Trafford and the misfiring Senelegese forward is certain to be seen partnering the duo of Firmino and Salah at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium.
KEY BATTLE
Harry Kane vs Fabinho
Spurs skipper and star striker Harry Kane was kept in check over the course of the 90 minutes at Anfield earlier this season by Rhys Williams but the England international would be raring to cause trouble to a makeshift Liverpool FC backline come Thursday
Kane has often served as a thorn in the flesh for Jurgen Klopp’s outfit and the familiarity of home surroundings for the Three Lions captain should mean that the midweek visitors at the Tottenham Hotspurs Stadium would be certain to take extra precautions in dealing with the ariel prowess and instinctive finishing boasted of by Kane.
Fabinho’s shifting of role from the holding spot in the Liverpool FC midfield to the centre-back position and his subsequent showings has earned the Brazillian huge plaudits, setting up a much-hyped meeting with the aforementioned Spurs skipper.
MATCH PREDICTION
Drawing sharp contrasts to previous years, especially the 2019-20 title-winning campaign, Klopp’s Merseyside men no longer go into games billed as the favourites to secure the win.
Thursday’s encounter provides a similar sort of anticipation and Tottenham Hotspurs’ decent run of form in recent times could mean another defeat for Liverpool FC on the road, which makes our prediction to be a 3-1 win for the North London outfit.
