Tottenham vs Liverpool preview - 7M sport

Tottenham vs Liverpool preview



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Posted Sunday, November 28, 2010 by thesportscampus.com

White Hart Lane will be the venue for a mouth watering clash between high flying Tottenham Hotspur and on the mend Liverpool on Sunday. Spurs produced another clinical performance in Europe in midweek, as they dispatched Werder Bremen 3-0 to secure their place in the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League. Liverpool's non-involvement in Europe's elite competition meant their last fixture was against West Ham last week, where they ran away 3-0 winners at Anfield. Spurs have held the upper hand in recent years at White Hart Lane against their esteemed opponents, but with Spurs coming off a midweek European game, the Reds might fancy their chances on Sunday.

Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham vs Liverpool preview

Harry Redknapp has performed miracles at Spurs over the past couple of years, taking them from the mire of the relegation zone to the upper echelons of Europe. They have been brilliant in their first Champions League campaign, outshining defending champions Inter Milan in the process. They have been slightly inconsistent in the League, especially after European games, but have been aided by the general inconsistency of the Premier League this season. Calls of Spurs being potential title winners by Redknapp might be premature, but they are best equipped to take advantage of any slip-ups by the 'Big Three' of Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

The stunning come back against Arsenal last week will remain long in the memory of the Spurs faithful. After an insipid first half performance, they made tactical changes in the 2nd half to catch Arsenal out cold and run away with all three points. The fickle nature of the League this season makes every point gained supremely vital and Spurs will need to produce consistent results, especially after midweek games if they are to consider themselves title contenders. The Christmas fixture list always separates the contenders from the pretenders and with tricky games against Aston Villa, Fulham and Newcastle during the Christmas period and with Chelsea visiting the Lane before that, they have a crucial 5 weeks coming up.

The problems for Spurs have been the niggling injuries to vital players over the course of the season. At the moment, Jonathan Woodgate, Tom Huddlestone, Ledley King and Jamie O'Hara are all out injured while Michael Dawson has just returned to training. Jermaine Defoe returned to action against Arsenal last week and after impressing on his return, Redknapp will be hoping to get a long run of games from his star striker. They have depended heavily on Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart this season, with the pair scoring 17 goals in all competitions so far this season. They will need their strikers to start finding the back of the net regularly if they are to maintain their challenge for honours over the length of the season.

Liverpool

After a torrid start to the season, amid calls of discontent from the Kop, Liverpool have finally achieved a semblance of consistency to their game under Roy Hodgson. The much maligned Manager has shown his naiveté at the top level during his short stay, but given the time and resources, the former Fulham boss can turn things around at Anfield. In spite of their poor performances this season, they are just three points off Bolton in 5th and can overtake their opponents Spurs, with a two goal victory on Sunday. They were clinical in their victory over West Ham last weekend, their first League victory since defeating Chelsea 2-0 at Anfield at the beginning of November. In the intervening period, they drew 1-1 at Wigan and lost 2-0 at Stoke City.

They have been hampered by the loss of Captain Steven Gerrard, who is yet to recover from a hamstring injury. The midfielder is their top scorer this season, with seven goals in all competitions. His loss greatly reduces their potency in attack, with Lucas and Raul Meireles ineffective in making piercing runs from midfield. But the return of Joe Cole from injury will bolster their attack and the ex-Chelsea player will look forward to playing in his preferred position behind the striker in Gerrard's absence.

The lack of natural width in their ranks makes them an easy side to curtail and the January transfer window will provide Hodgson and the new owners with a great opportunity to invest in players who can improve their first team. They might also need an addition at the back, as the regular injuries to the likes of Martin Skrtel, Daniel Agger and the age of Jamie Carragher and Sotirios Kyrgiakos leaving them ill equipped to handle a long season.

Head-to-Head:

16th Aug, 2010: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool
20th Jan, 2010: Liverpool 2-0 Tottenham

Tottenham: WWDLW
24th Nov, 2010: Tottenham 3-0 Werder Bremen (Champions League)
13th Nov, 2010: Tottenham 4 –2 Blackburn
10th Nov, 2010: Tottenham 1–1 Sunderland
6th Nov, 2010: Bolton 4–2 Tottenham
3rd Nov, 2010: Tottenham 3-1 Inter Milan (Champions League)

Liverpool: WLDWW
20th Nov, 2010: Liverpool 3-0 West Ham
13th Nov, 2010: Stoke 2-0 Liverpool
10th Nov, 2010: Wigan 1-1 Liverpool
7th Nov, 2010: Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea
4th Nov, 2010: Liverpool 3-1 Napoli
Probable Line Ups:

Tottenham (4-4-2): Gomes (Gk), Hutton, Gallas, Kaboul, Assou-Ekotto, Lennon, Palacios, Modric, Bale, Defoe, Pavlyuchenko

Redknapp has quite a few injury worries in midfield, where Jermaine Jenas has joined Huddlestone on the treatment table while Van Der Vaart is doubtful after picking up an ankle injury last weekend. The injuries might enforce a change in formation for the side, with the deployment of a 4-4-2 being the most likely outcome. Heurelho Gomes will start in goal while Alan Hutton and Benoit Assou-Ekotto should start as the full backs. William Gallas, who was stellar against Arsenal, will line up alongside the free scoring Younes Kaboul in central defence. In midfield, Wilson Palacios should join Modric in the centre while Lennon and Bale slot into the wide positions. Up front, Defoe and Pavyluchenko are expected to start together, with Peter Crouch the other option from the bench.

Liverpool (4-2-3-1): Reina (Gk), Johnson, Skrtel, Carragher, Konchesky, Lucas, Merieles, Maxi, Cole, Kuyt, Torres

Hodgson has no new injury worries ahead of the game, except Gerrard and Agger. Pepe Reina should start in goal, with Skrtel and Carragher lining up in central defence. Glen Johnson will slot in at right back with Paul Konchesky on the left. Lucas is contention for the game after serving his one match suspension and is expected to start alongside Meireles in the defensive midfield role. Joe Cole should play in the free role in midfield and is expected to be flanked by Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt. Up front, the mercurial Fernando Torres should start as the lone striker.

Prediction: Spurs have a strong record against Liverpool at home and go into the game as favourites. Liverpool will need to produce a performance similar to the one against Chelsea if they are to get something out of the game. The key could well be Fernando Torres, who is the one big game player on the pitch.

Predicted Scoreline: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool



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