Liverpool hosts Tottenham this weekend in the Premier League, with Alan Shearer predicting that things could get "messy" for Igor Tudor's struggling side at Anfield
Alan Shearer thinks things could get "messy" for Tottenham against Liverpool this weekend, with most pundits agreed on a comfortable win for the Reds at Anfield.
Chasing a spot in the Champions League next season, Liverpool hosts a Spurs side hovering above the relegation zone with both sides in need of the points following below-par campaigns. Arne Slot's men need to finish inside the top five places, while Igor Tudor could be fired four games into his Tottenham career if he loses heavily on Sunday.
"I have no confidence whatsoever in Spurs," Shearer told Betfair. "Anything could happen at Anfield. It could be messy. If Liverpool score early, then Spurs could capitulate.
"The size of the game for Tottenham — I know Liverpool have got a huge game against Galatasaray which they have to get through and win — but the magnitude of this for Tottenham is incredible. I have no belief or confidence that they'll go there and win."
Wayne Rooney is thinking along similar lines. He suggested that Liverpool could score six goals, while Paul Merson and Chris Sutton are predicting victories for the Reds coupled with clean sheets.
"It's just a matter of by how many goals Liverpool can win by," Merson wrote for Sportskeeda. "How long is Igor Tudor going to be around? My question is, who wants the Spurs job at the moment?
"Tottenham will wait it out. They will get the Liverpool game out of the way before making a decision on Tudor. No one expects Spurs to win this game.
"I won't be surprised if they sack Tudor on Sunday. Time is running out and at some point they must make a change, so why not at the earliest? If Tottenham lose at Anfield, I will be shocked if Tudor is still in charge of the team for next weekend's massive relegation six-pointer against Nottingham Forest.
"I'm expecting Arne Slot to go with his best team for this game. I expect Liverpool to turn it around against Galatasaray in the second leg next week. But let's admit it, they have a better chance of finishing inside the top five rather than winning the Champions League."
Merson went for a 3-0 win for Liverpool, while Sutton decided on a 2-0 victory for Slot's team.
"How on earth can anyone back Spurs to get anything at the moment?" Sutton wrote in his BBC Sport column. "Igor Tudor is making me look like I was a competent manager when I was in charge of Lincoln.
"There just seems to be so many things wrong at Spurs. They sacked Thomas Frank, thinking they were going to get this short-term fix from Tudor, but they have got a guy who has had a short-term shocker.
"Liverpool are far from convincing either, mind you. It's not impossible that Spurs scramble a win here because Arne Slot's side were lousy in Turkey on Tuesday."