Check out our preview pack for Saturday's Premier League clash between Liverpool and Tottenham, which includes team news, predictions and much more to help you with your __football bets and Fantasy __football picks.
Liverpool host Tottenham at Anfield in the Premier League on Saturday February 11, kicking off at 1730 GMT.
Here is our preview pack, which includes the team news, quotes from both managers, our predictions, key Opta statistics and details of the Sky Bet odds to help you with your bets and Fantasy Football decisions.
Liverpool v Tottenham: Our prediction
1pt Toby Alderweireld to score anytime
Even the most hardened Liverpool backer will surely glance at the form table and wince slightly before piling in at prices that can only be described as skinny. Granted, they're the Premier League's joint-highest scorers, they have home advantage, plus a brilliant recent head-to-head record against their Saturday evening opponents. But if you're playing at not much bigger than 6/5 then you don't expect to see L-L-L-D-L as your most recent evidence and you certainly don't want to be seeing Swansea, Wolves and Hull as three of the teams to have beaten the favourites in that horrible mini-run. You don't have to go back too far to find a much more encouraging display, the 1-1 draw at home to Chelsea clearly the best they've played for a while and even Antonio Conte seemed impressed by the quality and intensity shown by Jurgen Klopp's side in the second period. Liverpool raising their game for big matches against supposed rivals is not a new phenomenon and it's something we have to take into account ahead of this much-anticipated match with second-placed Spurs, but they've yet to win a game in 2017 and I simply can't recommend them at the odds on offer, despite the inevitable reaction that simply has to happen before long. Having said that, Tottenham haven't exactly been prolific on the road this season, albeit only losing two away and it's the draw that could lure me into the match betting if drifting any further. The Reds have won five of the last eight league meetings between the sides but the last three have ended all square - two of those being 1-1 - so the score draw is tempting at a shade bigger than 7/2. However, the goalscorer markets might represent the best spot of value for anyone wishing to have a dabble on the TV game and Liverpool's James Milner could be interesting. The makeshift full-back has six goals in the league this term, all from the penalty spot, and is 6/1 to add another but given he offers precious little in terms of goalscoring threat other than from 12 yards, just backing a penalty to be awarded at 11/4 is a more sensible approach given you also have Spurs and any missed spot-kicks on your side in that instance. But it's Tottenham's centre-backs who appeal more at the prices, with Toby Alderweireld marginally preferred to Eric Dier. Neither has a league goal to their name this term but they are frequently picked out by Christian Eriksen from corners and free-kicks, at which most Liverpool fans can still be forgiven for having their hearts in mouths. Belgium's Alderweireld, who picked up four Premier League goals last year and has been threatening in recent weeks, did find the net against Monaco in Europe earlier this season and also scored for his country in a World Cup qualifier in October, so he'll do nicely at a generous-looking 16/1 in the anytime market.
Verdict: Liverpool 2-2 Tottenham
Liverpool v Tottenham: Team news
Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren remains a doubt for the visit of top-four rivals Tottenham.
The centre-back missed last weekend's defeat at Hull with a knee injury and has not trained all week while likely back-up Ragnar Klavan has spent six days in bed with an infection which led him to be absent at the KCOM Stadium.
Midfielder Adam Lallana missed two days' training with an Achilles problem but should be in line to start.
Tottenham will be without defenders Danny Rose and Jan Vertonghen for Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool.
Rose has injured his knee and Vertonghen is still recovering from an ankle problem, meaning Ben Davies and Eric Dier are expected to continue in defence.
Erik Lamela is still struggling with pain in his hip but Kieran Trippier is available again after overcoming an injury to his ankle.
Teams
Liverpool (from): Mignolet, Clyne, Lucas, Matip, Milner, Henderson, Wijnaldum, Lallana, Mane, Firmino, Coutinho, Karius, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Moreno, Can, Sturridge, Origi.
Tottenham (from): Lloris, Vorm, Lopez, Davies, Alderweireld, Dier, Carter-Vickers, Wimmer, Walker, Trippier, Wanyama, Winks, Dembele, Eriksen, Alli, Sissoko, Onomah, Son, Janssen, Kane.
Liverpool v Tottenham: Manager quotes
Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
On putting the past behind him, starting with the visit of second-placed Tottenham: "In this moment I am nearly nil-point-nil interested in what was. I am more interested in what will be and what we can do, and what results we can get and performances we can show and where and when we can deliver. In my dreams we can win 14 games. I know how it sounds but I cannot change my dreams and that is what I am working for. After these 14 games it is another moment when we watch back and we use all these experiences and all the things we learned about each other, and then we will make decisions that will help us in the next season."
On the Reds' poor first-half display against Hull: "I was not happy about the first half, you can imagine. I remember even in the second half I was angry about the first half. First half we should not play like this. There was no sign in the week this would happen. We had a more than a good game against Chelsea (drawing 1-1). We flew there, (had a) night in a hotel, everything is perfect and then we play this kind of football. It was not a physical issue because the second half there was nothing. It is my responsibility but it doesn't mean I can't be angry. You watch the game again and it was clear what was wrong. We have no time to watch back and say 'Maybe this was the reason' - we spoke about everything. It is really important we spoke about the important things for the players and that is what we did immediately."
Mauricio Pochettino (Tottenham)
On trying to worry Chelsea: "It is not about sending a message to Chelsea. We are competing with ourselves, like we were last season. We are our own enemies and if we win, we win. It is important to be focused on ourselves. It is true in the last four or five games when you need to reduce the gap you are not only thinking of winning games, you are looking to reduce the gap to your opponent. But today it is about you. You need to be able to keep that level about winning, winning, winning games, then hope afterwards that Chelsea drop points."
On Jurgen Klopp: "I cannot speak for another coach but all the managers, Klopp with his experience, he is clever like other managers to provide good balance. If you win you are a genius, if you don't win you are criticised. You need to be natural, spontaneous and believe in the way you play, use your methods. It's an easy answer: only work in the way you believe you can achieve big things."
On Danny Rose's injury: "He is very positive, we are very positive. It is not a big issue, a minor problem, small problem."
Liverpool v Tottenham: Opta facts
- Liverpool are on an eight game unbeaten run against Spurs in the Premier League (W5 D3 L0); they last went nine without defeat against them in March 1998.
- Spurs have lost 15 of their 24 visits to Anfield in the Premier League (W2 D7) - they have only lost more often at Old Trafford (20) and Stamford Bridge (16).
- Mauricio Pochettino has never beaten the Reds as Spurs manager (D3 L3), including losing a League Cup fourth round tie earlier this season. However, when he was manager of Southampton he won two of three games (L1) against them.
- Only against Newcastle (88) have Liverpool scored more Premier League goals than against Spurs (83).
- There have been nine own goals in Premier League meetings between these sides - more than in any other Premier League fixture.
- Liverpool have scored 12 penalties against Spurs in the Premier League - the most by a team against an opponent in the history of the competition.
- The Reds have scored more penalties than any other Premier League side this season (6), with all six converted by James Milner.
- Liverpool have won just one of their 10 games in all competitions in 2017; this is their worst start to a calendar year since 1993, when they mustered just one win in their opening 11 matches.
- Spurs have conceded the fewest goals from open play in the Premier League this season (7). Indeed, Liverpool have shipped more goals from open play (18) than Spurs have in total this season (16).
- Harry Kane has been involved in all three of Spurs' goals in their last two Premier League games at Anfield, scoring twice and assisting once.
- No player has more Premier League goals in 2017 than Harry Kane (6 - level with Romelu Lukaku). He is the only player to score 20+ Premier League goals in the last two calendar years (27 in 2015, 22 in 2016).
- Four of Spurs' last five away Premier League wins have seen them score four goals, most recently a 4-1 win at Watford on New Years' Day. However, they've never scored more than three goals in a game at Anfield.
- Jürgen Klopp has an identical record to Brendan Rodgers in his opening 54 Premier League games as Liverpool boss (W26 D16 L12).
Liverpool v Tottenham: Sky Bet odds
Liverpool are Sky Bet's 23/20 favourites despite their troubling form, with Tottenham up against odds of 23/10, the same price as a fourth successive draw between the two sides. Jurgen Klopp's men were all but written off in the title race at 66/1 after their Hull loss, while Spurs are considered the main threats to Chelsea at 14/1. Roberto Firmino and Harry Kane share favouritism in the first goalscorer betting at 5/1 apiece, while James Milner is 12/1 to break the deadlock again after doing so at White Hart Lane.
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Liverpool v Tottenham: More news
- More Liverpool news
- More Tottenham news