In June they met as UEFA Champions League finalists, but Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool FC are in two very different places right now. Spurs, who host the Reds on Saturday, have replaced their manager since that European final Saturday and currently sit in sixth place, still working on trying to make up ground on the top four.
The reigning European champions are now also Club World Cup champions and Premier League champions-elect. It’s the headliner fixture of the Premier League weekend, but the two sides still oceans apart in form right now.
Regarding the team news, we’ll start first with Tottenham. You can add midfielder Moussa Sissoko to the injury list, as the France international will be out the next three months after having undergone surgery to repair knee ligament damage.
The team is already without the very injury prone Tanguy Ndombele (groin strain), and as it stands they only have five truly fit central midfielders on the roster. It’s going to affect how they conduct business this January transfer window and could even lead to changes in how Mourinho does his team selection and formations.
Meanwhile talisman Harry Kane (left hamstring tendon rupture) will be on the sidelines until at least April, as he’ll need surgery to repair his injury. Meanwhile Ben Davies (ankle) and Hugo Lloris (elbow) remain long term injury absentees.
For Liverpool, Joel Matip and Xherdan Shaqiri have returned to fitness, but central defender Dejan Lovren is a doubt. They still have a short list of injuries to contend with at that consists of: Naby Keita (groin), Nathaniel Clyne (knee) and James Milner (hamstring).
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool FC FYIs
January 11, 5:30pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Starting XI for both sides: Tottenham Hotspur Liverpool FC
Form Guide: Tottenham Hotspur- LDWLW Liverpool FC- WWWWW
Odds via Betfair Exchange: Tottenham Hotspur win 4/1, Draw 7/2, Liverpool FC win 8/11
Premier League Series History: Tottenham Hotspur wins 14, Draw 15, Liverpool FC wins 26
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Hotspur win 21%, Draw 26%, Liverpool FC win 56%
Prediction: Liverpool FC 2, Tottenham Hotspur 1
Both sides are banged up, but Spurs more so, and they are a squad with less depth and talent than LFC.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
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