Liverpool are heavy favourites to pile the misery on Tottenham and hand them a seventh successive defeat on Sunday.
The Reds are not in the best form themselves, but Igor Tudor’s relegation-threatened side have made Liverpool’s miserable season look like a walk in the park as they slump down the Premier League table.
Nevertheless, Arne Slot and co have made a habit of dropping unlikely points this term, and despite confidence ahead of the game at Anfield, caution should also be exercised. Liverpool could easily do it again. Here are three reasons to be fearful of the Reds against Spurs this weekend.
Liverpool’s forwards ALL deserve to be dropped against Spurs 😶
Which three would you go with against a side shipping so many goals?
Liverpool will almost certainly concede
It had looked as though Liverpool had turned a corner in the clean sheets stakes recently, as they recorded three consecutive shut outs against Sunderland, Brighton and Nottingham Forest.
However, the Reds have failed to hold firm in any of their four games since, conceding six goals along the way.
That could easily have been more on Tuesday, as the defensive fragility which has been on display all season reared its head once again.
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Slot could even go with the same back four against Tottenham, and they will have to be a lot better to keep them out. For all of their failings, Spurs still have some firepower up front and they do tend to score, only failing to do so once in their current six-game losing streak.
The Richarlison factor could be crucial
If there is one Tottenham player who will be looking forward to Sunday’s game, it will be Richarlison.
The former Everton man has a really good record against Liverpool, scoring five goals and laying on three assists in 17 appearances.
He scored during the reverse fixture at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December and also has four goals for Spurs and Everton at Anfield.
With their defence far from secure, and Richarlison pumped up to get one over on a club he seemingly loathes, Liverpool will have to have a plan for the Brazilian. Virgil van Dijk usually does, but he often manages to score anyway.
Arne Slot thinks Tottenham will be a tough game because of their new manager, who has lost four games in a row! 😵💫
Slot can’t be serious, right? What’s your score prediction for the game… 🔮
Tottenham will win eventually
As bad as Tottenham have been across the past two seasons, they still have players – like Richarlison – who can really hurt opponents.
Many of those are injured on Sunday, but how often in the Premier League do we see a down-and-out team decimated with injuries pull off a scarcely believable result?
That is not often the way things have gone for Tottenham against Liverpool, and it is true that the Reds have scored four or more in each of their last four home games against Spurs. But football has a way of evening these things out, and it would be wholly typical of the Reds this season if they are the team who finally end Tottenham’s losing streak.
Sometimes it just isn’t your day, as Liverpool have well found out this season, and they need to make sure they do not turn in another of those performances on Sunday.
Spurs showed some fight in Madrid against Atletico despite falling to a 5-2 defeat, and with Tudor well-known for his never-say-die attitude, Liverpool must make sure they turn up and do a proper job here. Anything less, and their season could hit another new low.