Liverpool had a slight blip last weekend in their quest to win the Premier League, as they could only secure a point against a struggling Manchester United side. Their opponents for today, Tottenham Hotspur, had an even more disappointing 1-1 draw against Watford, who are bottom of the table.
But both sides bounced back in the Champions League in style, registering convincing wins. The two sides face off at Anfield, with 13 points separating the two sides on the Premier League table.
The last time these two sides met at Anfield, Liverpool won 2-1.
Let’s take a look at the key battles in the game between Liverpool and Tottenham
Son Heung-Min vs Trent Alexander-Arnold
South Korean star Son Heung-Min, along with Harry Kane, has been the best player for Spurs this season. The attacker has scored 5 goals and 3 assists in all competitions and will be a handful for Liverpool. Son has the pace, movement, and technique to cause a lot of trouble to Liverpool’s backline, and in particular, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold whose defensive acumen has been called into mild question time and again.
Manchester United did a good job of keeping Alexander-Arnold and left-back Andy Robertson at bay last weekend for most of the game and if Spurs manage to do so, they could stand a good chance of taking one or more points away from Anfield. Son could do a good job of keeping the English right-back at check, while also being a threat going forward.
Roberto Firmino vs Jan Vertonghen
Roberto Firmino was quiet in Liverpool’s game against Manchester United but he returned to his best mid-week in the Champions League. The Brazilian has had a phenomenal start to the season, scoring 3 times and registering 8 assists.
Firmino could be a threat to the Spurs backline, which has conceded quite a few goals recently. Experienced centre back Jan Vertonghen could have a difficult time on Sunday as Firmino’s movement could pull him away from his position and leave gaps in the Spurs defence which has been the case quite a lot this season.
Fabinho vs Tanguy Ndombele
Tanguy Ndombele has had an up and down start to his Spurs career, scoring twice and assisting thrice in all competitions but also being a tad inconsistent overall. The Frenchman will be up against one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League – and maybe even Europe, Fabinho.
Ndombele likes to move forward with the ball and create chances in the final third, which could cause Liverpool trouble if the Reds’ midfield is porous like last weekend. Fabinho will have his work cut out on Sunday against Spurs as Ndombele can be a menace.