Tottenham hosts Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday with both teams unbeaten in the league this season. The Reds most recently defeated Leicester City 3-1 in the EFL Cup. The Lilywhites most recently drew 2-2 with fierce rivals Arsenal last weekend.
Preview (Tottenham vs. Liverpool)
Ange Postecoglou left enemy territory having led Tottenham to a hard-earned point against Arsenal. Their rivals twice took the lead through a Cristian Romero own goal and a Bukayo Saka penalty. This is a feat that none of Antonio Conte, Jose Mourinho, or Nuno Espirito Santo managed. Romero’s second-half foul also gave Arsenal the early second-half penalties, which Saka converted. However, Son Heung-min saved Romero’s face on both occasions. He scored a brace with two assists from James Maddison to put an end to the Spurs’ three-game losing record.
They also continued their recent trend of scoring at least twice in every Premier League game. As a result of last weekend’s victories by Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion, Spurs have dropped from second to fourth in the standings, joining Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola, and Craig Shakespeare as the only Premier League managers to have their team score twice in their first six games in charge. Tottenham did not have to worry about EFL Cup matters over the past few days due to their penalty shootout defeat at Fulham, but while the extended recovery period might be extremely beneficial against an in-form Liverpool, giving up five goals in their last three games will not.
Cody Gakpo’s low strike, Dominik Szoboszlai’s thunderbolt, and a fancy Diogo Jota finish, however, sealed yet another Liverpool come-from-behind victory. Since the international break, Liverpool has also defeated LASK Linz and Wolverhampton Wanderers in similar circumstances, as well as triumphing by the same scoreline in last weekend’s Premier League matchup with West Ham United. Jurgen Klopp’s team travels south with an eight-game unbeaten run to defend in Premier League away games. They also are on a 19-game streak without defeat overall.
Team News
Brennan Johnson suffered a hamstring injury 60 minutes into his full debut for Tottenham. James Maddison received a gut-wrenching knee jolt but managed to play for a short while before being substituted. As a result, Tottenham’s battling point in the North London derby came at a significant cost. However, Maddison’s knee scans are thought to have revealed encouraging findings. Spurs are hopeful that the August Premier League Player of the Month will be fit to play the Reds. Johnson, on the other hand, is more doubtful. Richarlison is available to fill in. Ivan Perisic (knee), Giovani Lo Celso (thigh), Alfie Whiteman (ankle), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Bryan Gil (groin), and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) are among the hosts’ reported absences.
Trent Alexander-Arnold, the vice-captain of Liverpool, is back with the team at Kirkby after a hamstring injury. He still has a race against time to be ready for Saturday’s pivotal match. Speaking about players returning to the practice fields. The only other player in Klopp’s squad who is injured is midfielder Thiago Alcantara, who won’t be able to play again for a few more weeks due to a hip injury. Otherwise, the visitors have all of their players available, and they will start with their strongest lineup after giving a number of bench players opportunities in midweek. Spurs’ chances of winning in the capital will depend greatly on Maddison’s health, but Klopp’s team is once again proving to be a very difficult opponent to beat. As a result, we can see Postecoglou presiding over a second straight four-goal draw in which both teams maintain their unbeaten records.
Tottenham 2 – 2 Liverpool
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