Preview
Liverpool and Tottenham are about to face each other in one of the biggest matches of the Premier League season, and both clubs desperately need a win.
Liverpool is currently sitting in 6th place in the league table. Their manager, Arne Slot, is trying to guide them into European competition next season, meaning they need to finish in the top five. However, this season hasn’t gone as smoothly as Liverpool fans hoped.
Just this week, they lost a big European match against a Turkish club, Galatasaray. Tottenham is in an even worse situation. Their previous manager, Thomas Frank, was recently sacked, and a new manager, Igor Tudor, has taken over.
But things haven’t improved; Tottenham have lost all four games since Tudor arrived. Right now, they sit just one point above the relegation zone.
Team News
Liverpool is dealing with several injury problems heading into Sunday’s match. Their goalkeeper, Alisson Becker, is a major doubt after sustaining a muscle injury during training. If he can’t play, backup goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher will step in.
The Reds are also missing several important players. Defenders Conor Bradley and Giovanni Leoni are both ruled out for the rest of the season due to serious knee injuries, while midfielder Wataru Endo is also out long term after undergoing surgery.
Alexander Isak, who broke his leg back in December, has only recently returned to outdoor training and is not yet ready to play. Winger Federico Chiesa is also a doubt after missing the Galatasaray trip due to illness.
The good news? Star players Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk, and Florian Wirtz are all expected to be available.
Tottenham: If Liverpool have injury problems, Tottenham’s situation is far worse, they are in a full blown crisis. Two of their most important players, defender Cristian Romero and midfielder Joao Palhinha, banged heads with each other during their 5-2 thrashing against Spanish club Atletico Madrid in midweek.
They are expected to undergo medical tests to make sure their brains are not injured. Until they pass those tests, they are not allowed to play. Both players have serious doubts about Sunday.
It gets worse. Defender Micky van de Ven is not allowed to play on Sunday at all; he received a red card in a previous match, which means he is automatically banned for the next game. On top of all that, the Spurs are also missing several other key players through injury. Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison, two of their most creative players, are both sidelined.
Left back Destiny Udogie is also a doubt, while defender Ben Davies is also out. Tottenham will be travelling to Anfield without almost half of their best players. For a team already fighting to avoid relegation, this could not have come at a worse time.
Predicted Lineups
Liverpool will most likely play in a 4-2-3-1 formation. This simply means they will have:
- 4 defenders protecting the goalkeeper
- 2 midfielders sitting deep to break up opposition attacks
- 3 attacking midfielders creating chances behind the striker
- 1 striker leading the attack up front
The Players & Their Roles
Mamardashvili. The goalkeeper. He steps in because Alisson Becker is injured.
Frimpong, Konaté, Van Dijk, Robertson. The four defenders. Van Dijk is the captain and leader at the back. Robertson attacks down the left side, while Frimpong does the same on the right.
Gravenberch & Mac Allister. The two defensive midfielders.
Salah, Szoboszlai, Gakpo. The three creative players behind the striker. Salah on the right is Liverpool’s most dangerous player and the one Tottenham will fear most.Ekitiké. The main striker.
