Liverpool V Tottenham Hotspur: Sunday, 10th January (Sky Sports 1)

Liverpool V Tottenham Hotspur

Sunday, 10^th January – 16:00 GMT (Sky Sports 1)

MATCH POSTPONED – We regrettably have to inform you that the following game has been postponed due to severe weather conditions. Although the pitch has been confirmed as ‘playable’ the surrounding area; roads, pathways, steps etc… have been deemed a hazard and a risk to those fans who will attend the game.

The only difference with this postponement is that Liverpool rang the FA personally to request that the game be called off. Due to Liverpool being a big club, and their worldwide popularity, it was understandable that the FA were eager for this particular game to go ahead but they were left with no alternative but to postpone the game due to adverse weather conditions in the surrounding area.

Liverpool

League Position:

Recent Form:

(Have kept just one clean sheet in their previous five home fixtures)

The fightback is now on from Liverpool as they bid to end the season in the top four. However, their match day opponents, Tottenham currently occupy the position Liverpool crave and a win for the Reds’ would close the gap on Spurs to just two points and put them within a win away of rejoining the ‘Big Four’. It’s been a while though since Liverpool last put together a string of wins and after winning back-to-games in the league, will Liverpool falter once again against an opponent that beat them on the opening day of the season?

This is a huge fixture for Liverpool as Tottenham are one of their main contenders for a top four finish. Rafael Benitez does possess the better squad of the two, although some would say only just, and you would surely have to fancy Liverpool’s chances back at Anfield providing their influential pairing of Steven Gerrard & Fernando Torres are back on song. The deadly duo have lost their spark this season, mainly down to the fact that injuries have kept them apart, but they’ve been playing together for a few games now and that sublime partnership which seen Liverpool come so close to their first league title in 18 years will be back to it’s best at some stage, but will Anfield be the occasion when the pair really announce themselves?

Anfield, in past season, has been a fortress for Liverpool and a happy hunting ground for the vast majority of their points. That has still been the case for them this season but they’ve looked far from unbeatable when at home, with both Aston Villa & Arsenal already doing the deed over the Reds at Anfield this season. They have, though, gone on a two match winning run at home, with victories over Wigan Athletic (2-1) & Wolves (2-0). Obviously not two teams that would set the league alight but they were wins nevertheless and confidence boosting wins at that. 

Liverpool severely struggled in their FA Cup clash at the weekend and there will be reservations over their Sunday credentials after a dreadful display away at Reading. Liverpool never really got going in that contest and they were sloppy and lethargic throughout. It was so bad that even a string of passes was a rare sight, whereas an attempt on goal came as often as a shooting star. Reading got in their faces and harassed Liverpool from start to finish, and the Reds were rocking. They just didn’t look like they wanted to be there and nerves was quite apparent.

Harry Redknapp will have been looking on and would have been seen licking his lips come full-time in the knowledge that Liverpool now have a FA Cup on their minds just a few days after they play the Reds’. The fact that Liverpool were poor on Saturday combined with an unwanted replay several days later could mean Liverpool are a terrible bet for Sunday’s clash. We, however, feel that Gerrard & Torres are only just starting to warm up and Spurs could be a side in the wrong place at the wrong time. Then again, Liverpool could be found fast asleep, again, so who blooming knows… certainly not us by the looks of things.  

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 4th

Recent Form: LWWDW

(Haven’t conceded an away goal in over 250 minutes of play)

Tottenham hold all the aces in the battle for top four supremacy, but the battle will hot up this weekend as they travel up to Liverpool in a top four six-pointer. Something which is unheard of. Spurs are currently five points ahead of Liverpool in the table and could go eight points clear of what is their strongest rivals for a top four finish, but defeat could see that deficit decrease to just two points. They will surely be confident of their chances, though, after watching on from a far as Liverpool could only manage a draw at Reading last Saturday. 

To see that Tottenham weren’t competing in one of the Carling Cup Semi-Finals was a surprise as they usually go very far in that competition. However, the burden of that tournament has now been lifted off their shoulders and after cruising past Peterborough in the FA Cup last Saturday, the morale in the Spurs dressing room will be sky-high as they’ve also been pretty slick back in the league; remaining unbeaten in their last four games. Three wins; Man City (3-0), Blackburn Rovers (0-2) and West Ham (2-0), combined with a 0-0 draw with Fulham, will have lifted the spirits of the players as all were tough fixtures but will a trip to Liverpool be a step too far for a Tottenham side which does tend to go missing after an impressive run of results.

Away from home, Tottenham have been just as hard to beat and have only lost two away games all season. Those two defeats did, however, come against Chelsea & Arsenal. Now, you can either look at that as only Chelsea & Arsenal have managed to beat Spurs or that Spurs have stuttered in the big contests. To be honest, it was a bit of both but Tottenham have a 100% losing record on the road against top four opposition this season, whilst the only occasion they avoided defeat against big four opposition was their 2-1 home victory over Liverpool at the start of the season. They were beaten 3-0 at Chelsea, 3-0 at Arsenal, and 3-1 by Man Utd at home.

For Spurs to win this encounter, they will need to play in a similar vein to Reading by doing a lot of closing down and man-marking Steven Gerrard. If they allow Gerrard to get his head up and pick out a pass then chances are the ball will fall onto Torres’ feet, and that’s a scary thought. Give Torres half-a-chance and he will score, just ask Martin O’Neill of Aston Villa. The concentration levels in that Spurs defence need to be spot on as one single mistake could cost them. Tottenham, to their credit, have kept two successive away clean sheets in the league and that is a good omen for the travelling fans, although we expect that run to come to an end this Sunday.

Head-to-Head (Last 10):

Liverpool W: 5 Tottenham Hotspur W:3 Draws: 2

Tottenham don’t have the best of records against Liverpool and have just their back-to-back home wins over the Reds’ to show for their recent efforts. Since the turn of the millennium, Spurs have never beaten Liverpool at Anfield. A total of 9 failed attempts; six defeats and three draws. Last season they were soundly beaten 3-1, with Torres getting in on the action.

Spurs did manage a 1-1 draw the season before last but will feel uneasy in the knowledge that they’ve lost on three on their previous visits to Anfield, but will take heart from the fact that they’ve scored in their last two visits.

Match Verdict: Liverpool to WIN – 1.91 Boylesports

Liverpool won this same contest 3-1 last season, with Fernando Torres scoring the opener, what was his 50^th at the time, and think the Spaniard will strike again in a home win. Their performance at the weekend was a shambles but you don’t often see a display as bad as that at Anfield, a venue where Liverpool generally play their best football. They will, though, need a much improved display from everyone who starts as Tottenham will be extremely dangerous when they break. The pace of Lennon down the flank needs to be tamed, while the height of Peter Crouch could cause them a few problems, although Benitez knows everything there is to know about Crouchy, and Robbie Keane for that matter, so Liverpool should have done their homework. An intriguing match, one which should be exciting from start to finish, but if Gerrard & Torres are on form in this encounter then three points should only go one way.

Match Odds:

Liverpool – 1.91 Boylesports

Draw – 3.50 Bet365

Tottenham Hotspur – 4.50 SkyBet

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Fernando Torres FGS – 4.50 Bet365