When Liverpool visits Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, it will be a matchup with one really quirky storyline. Each side will be without the services of a player who has essentially punched his ticket out of the club, but he’ll be absent here for a very different reason- the Africa Cup of Nations. Mohamed Salah has temporarily left Liverpool to join the Egyptian national team at AFCON.
So we can take a break from the whole “is he going to be benched again? If so, how will he take that benching?” drama for awhile.
Liverpool FC at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Saturday December 20, 5:30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Preview Material for Both Sides: Team News Starting XI Predictions
Premier League Standing: Liverpool FC 7th, 26 points Tottenham 11th, 22 points
Google Result Probability: Tottenham win 28% Draw 25% Liverpool FC win 47%
Team News for Both Sides
For Spurs, Yves Bissmoua is now away from Tottenham, having joined up with Mali. Earlier this month, he was caught doing nitrous oxide, for the second time, and that might have ultimately sealed his exit. Bissouma didn’t really show the best judgment there, yet again, so White Hart Lane is hoping to sell him in January.
Also, Pape Matar Sarr is now with the Senegal national side at AFCON. There is no extreme off-the-pitch drama connected to his situation though.
Other than that, there are no updates to the team news situations at this time. Both sides will be missing six more players, each, due to injury. Although Liverpool gets Conor Bradley back from suspension, so that’s good news.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, RG.org and Ratings.org. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.