Momentum on road to a second successive top-flight crown was regained by Jurgen Klopp’s Merseyside men as Liverpool FC cruised to a comfortable 3-1 win over Tottenham Hotspurs in the midweek game in North London.
The Reds returned to much-needed winning ways following their triumph over Jose Mourinho’s Spurs and another stern challenge in the form of a high-flying West Ham United side awaits the Premier League holders on the road this upcoming weekend.
David Moyes’ men have earned rave reviews for their recent showings and a narrow 3-2 win earlier this week against Crystal Palace took the London-based outfit to the fourth spot in the Premier League ladder prior to Liverpool FC’s clash against Spurs.
Liverpool FC’s form in league action preceding the victory over Mourinho’s side had been terrible, to say the least, with the Merseysiders having endured a five-game-long winless run that included a defeat at Anfield to Burnley, a first for Liverpool FC in the better part of four years.
The forward line bounced back to their best in superb fashion on a rainy Thursday night in North London as Roberto Firmino opened the scoring for the Reds, recording the club’s first goal of the calendar year before strikes in the second half from the under-fire Trent Alexander-Arnold and Sadio Mane sealed the game in favour of the Merseyside outfit.
Dropping of points from both Manchester United and Leicester City over the past game week comes at a point when Liverpool FC have seemingly got back to their best and a potential win over the Hammers will be of much importance to the Merseysiders for climbing up the ladder in the top-flight standings.
In spite of fresh injury concerns for the Anfield giants in the aftermath of the Spurs clash, with Joel Matip reportedly suffering an ankle issue merely a week after his return to first-team football, Klopp will be cautious heading into the close of the transfer window as the supporters demand a new centre-back arrival.
However, a favourable result against David Moyes’ side should silence those who cast doubt over Liverpool FC’s title-defence credentials amid the ever-increasing list of troubles on the injury front and Klopp would be gunning for the same come Sunday at the London Stadium.
WHEN & WHERE?
Date: Sunday 31 January
Time: 7:30 PM GMT
Venue: London Stadium
TEAM NEWS
Joel Matip was forced off the pitch at half time in North London on Thursday and Jurgen Klopp’s post-game interview confirmed fears of the Cameroonian international being the subject to a lengthy period of time on the sidelines due to an ankle injury.
The Spurs fixture did not witness Fabinho’s inclusion as the makeshift centre-back was reportedly suffering from a muscle concern but Klopp shot down talk of the former AS Monaco man aggravating his injury.
Klopp is tipped to field an unchanged XI barring Matip’s exclusion as the Hammers present a tough test to the defending champions’ pursuits of getting their title-defence campaign back on track.
KEY BATTLE
Tomáš Souček vs Jordan Henderson
Souček has become a star turn for Moyes at West Ham United and the midfielder was on target twice during his side’s hard-fought 3-2 win over Crystal Palace earlier this week.
The Czech’s ability on the ball while in the centre of the park for the Hammers has earned him plaudits from far and wide, putting Liverpool FC skipper Jordan Henderson on the guard.
In the expected absence of Matip, Henderson’s now usual operation at centre-back for Jurgen Klopp’s side makes the Englishman the senior member of an injury-hit backline and Souček’s recent run of form puts the pressure on the skipper to keep the defensive line well structured over the course of the 90 minutes.
MATCH PREDICTION
482 – Roberto Firmino’s goal was Liverpool’s first in the Premier League since December (Mane vs West Brom), ending the Reds’ run of 482 minutes and 93 shots without scoring in the competition. Alleviated. #TOTLIV pic.twitter.com/ArjzwrNqs9
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) January 28, 2021
The win over Spurs witnessed a day of many firsts for Klopp and Co. as the Reds grabbed their debut victory since the turn of the year, combined with Liverpool FC’s opening strike on Thursday evening marking their introductory goal of 2021.
And with confidence back amongst a previously misfiring Reds side, coming out on top of their upcoming opponents does not seem like a herculean effort, which is why we tip Klopp’s men to register another win on the road, this time with a scoreline of 4-1.
