Liverpool.com

Liverpool's number one, Alisson Becker, has labeled the upcoming clash with Tottenham Hotspur as a 'must win' for the Reds, following recent stumbles in the Premier League. With Arne Slot's team sitting snugly two points ahead of Chelsea and holding a game in hand, the stakes are high.

Yet, before Liverpool set foot in North London, Chelsea could leapfrog them if they secure victory at Everton.

Alisson, who has previously tasted Premier League glory, believes that this experience gives Liverpool an edge in the title chase. However, he's clear on the need to keep their guard up, especially against Spurs.

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"Yeah, it's really important (that we return to winning ways)," the Brazilian shot-stopper asserted. "I think [there are] many difficult games coming now at this time for us but that's how the Premier League is – really difficult.

"You cannot take things for granted before the season finishes because you know how things can change quickly. Two games, you can drop some points and the difference [in points] with respect to the opponents is not so big anymore. But I think we have to focus on the next challenge we have in front of us.

"Tottenham is a massive game, if we can go there and get the three points it will be amazing but we know how difficult it is to play there against their team. They are playing really well, a really intense way to play, not easy, but we have to get back on the winning track if we want to do something special this season."

He added: "It helps a lot when you have experienced players. Not only myself, but so many players, even the young players they had experienced that as well before.

"Being there for the title race is part of the identity of this club. This club is so big it has to be there. It has to be fighting for something big, fighting for the prize, we know that [and] we carry this responsibility but it doesn't come from nothing.

"You have to create that. You have to deserve it because if you are up there and you don't deserve [it] you're not going to last long at that place.

"We want to not only win games, but we want to deserve it. We want to play well [and] we want to have solid performances; be solid at defence and be strong in the attack.

"There is a way of winning that is not a guarantee that you're going to win, but a lot of hard work is necessary and compulsory for a team that wants to fight for something.

"At the end it's not a guarantee, as I said before, but we want to do that, and we want to be there and we have the desire inside of ourselves. Bringing the experience can help us in all the different circumstances that we can get through the season."

Meanwhile, Alisson also paid his respects to Caoimhin Kelleher for the Irishman's stellar performances while filling in during the Brazilian's two-month injury absence. Emphasizing the impact injuries can have on a title challenge, he expressed hope for the swift return of Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley.

Discussing the significance of squad depth with the club website, he said, "You have to be lucky with the injuries as well. All the teams that struggle at some points you can see that will be related to missing key players.

"It's important that when those players are missing, the ones who come in and play can do as well as the others were doing.

"I stayed away for eight [or] nine weeks – six [or] seven games in the Premier League. Caoimhin [Kelleher] came in and did really well for the team, helping a lot with the games, with saves [and] with everything, showing how good he is and showing how important it is to have players with quality in the squad, not only the first XI who are starting the game, but everybody.

"It's important for the long term. Hopefully we can get Ibou and Conor back soon. They are important players for us. But the players who are fit, we have to show the response on the pitch and to perform as best as we can to get the results."

“I went on vacation, and it caught me by surprise. It wasn’t something I had planned,” Zubimendi said. “I reacted when the situation arose. It was an uncomfortable time for me, but I weighed the pros and cons and concluded that the best option was to stay.

“I don’t believe in 'once-in-a-lifetime' opportunities. If you’re good and want to achieve something, it will come to you. There’s no need to rush.

“I looked at my personal progression, who I am, and the club’s project. I stayed because I knew this season would be important for me in the team, and I still had steps to take. It wasn’t that hard of a decision.

“There were many reasons for my decision, but I was selfish and thought about what was best for me. And that was staying.”

“They (Spurs) have always been a certain brand of football for me and have a certain identity. I think Ange ­Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely. Ange is doing great work over there. I hope this is seen a bit more. I also hope, hope, hope that he wins a trophy – not the League Cup.

“I’m completely a fan of his team for the Europa League because people always talk about trophies and that it’s so important. For his brand of football and his style, it is so much more important and if he can combine that with winning something that would be so good for football in general because people can stop talking about it’s too attacking or ­whatever. How on earth can you play too [much] attacking football?”

Tottenham could welcome back Destiny Udogie and Timo Werner for Sunday's match against Liverpool but Ange Postecoglou remains without a host of first-team players against the league leaders.

Udogie was forced off during Spurs' win against Southampton last weekend but the problem clearly wasn't serious, while Werner was absent for the League Cup win against Manchester United through illness.

"Timo was unwell yesterday so we've got 48 hours or so before the game and hopefully he will recover [in time to face Liverpool]," Postecoglou said. "The plan is Destiny should be ok."

Both of Spurs' first-choice center-backs, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, will miss the match with muscle injuries, as will first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who is a long-term absentee with an ankle injury.

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Richarlison, Ben Davies and Wilson Odobert are all also sidelined, while Rodrigo Bentancur is currently serving a seven-match suspension.

Meanwhile, Liverpool head coach Arne Slot defended Ange Postecoglou's style of play after the Australian came in for criticism for his all-or-nothing approach in recent weeks.

Spurs have recorded some excellent results this season but have been wildly inconsistent, letting two-goal leads slip on multiple occasions and losing the joint-highest amount of league matches outside of the Premier League's bottom four.

Still, Slot is an admirer of Postecoglou and willed him to win some silverware in North London: “They’ve always been a certain brand of football for me and have a certain identity. I think Ange ­Postecoglou gives them that identity back completely. Ange is doing great work over there. I hope this is seen a bit more. I also hope, hope, hope that he wins a trophy – not the League Cup.

“I’m completely a fan of his team for the Europa League because people always talk about trophies and that it’s so important. For his brand of football and his style, it is so much more important and if he can combine that with winning something that would be so good for football in general because people can stop talking about it’s too attacking or ­whatever. How on earth can you play too [much] attacking football?”

Liverpool's injury crisis has eased in recent weeks and the Reds will be without just two first-team players versus Tottenham on Sunday.

Up until fairly recently, Liverpool had several times that amount of players sidelined, but the recent returns of Alisson, Diogo Jota, Federico Chiesa, Harvey Elliott and Kostas Tsimikas have improved the situation.

Now, the Reds are just waiting on Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley to return after the pair sustained injuries during the 2-0 win over Real Madrid at the end of November.

Konate limped off with a knee problem during stoppage time after a coming-together with Virgil van Dijk and Endrick, while Bradley pulled up with hamstring discomfort during the second half.

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Speaking ahead of the trip to Spurs, Arne Slot gave an update on the pair's recoveries: “If I’m correct, I think it’s only two players in the red [zone] at the moment and that means only two injuries left – and a few of them are coming back from injuries.

“I think we only miss two players (Konate and Bradley) on the training ground today, which is a positive thing. These are the two who are still in red so they don’t train with us at the moment. They are on their way back, but they don’t train with the team yet.”

When asked about possible return dates for the duo, Slot responded: “That is quite difficult. I thought Jota would have been back a bit earlier already, but sometimes the end stage of rehab takes a bit longer.

“Let’s wait and see, but we have very good rehab personnel over here and they have done some good work already with Alisson and some others.

“The main thing is if they come back, they are ready to come back. We must not focus on one, two or three days, it’s more important for the long term that they stay fit afterwards.”

Alexis Mac Allister will be available when the Merseyside derby is rearranged but that means the Liverpool midfielder will have to sit out this weekend's Premier League clash with Fulham instead.

Having picked up five yellow cards so far this season, Mac Allister became the first of Arne Slot's players to get a one-match ban. He also picked up a suspension in the Champions League, which saw him sit out the 1-0 win in Girona midweek.

But with five more matches to go until Liverpool has played 19 in the top flight, two more players are on the verge of picking up a ban. After 19 matches, the cut-off is reached and players then need to hit 10 yellows for a suspension.

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Ryan Gravenberch and Ibrahima Konate are both on four bookings as things stand, though the French center-back is injured and therefore will be missing for the next few games anyway. Should Gravenberch get booked by referee Tony Harrington at Anfield on Saturday, though, he would miss the trip to Tottenham the following weekend.

Unless they are sent off against Fulham, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cody Gakpo, Darwin Nunez and Dominik Szoboszlai will all be available for the Spurs game but they are each on three yellows. Two more in the next five Premier League matches would see them pick up a one-game ban with fixtures against West Ham, Leicester City and Manchester United coming up.

Liverpool.com says: Losing Mac Allister is a blow but it is better for him to be out when Jones and Szoboszlai are playing relatively well and Harvey Elliott is back available. Being without Gravenberch for Spurs, however, would be a bit more of an issue.

Liverpool boss Arne Slot has given his verdict on Manchester City's 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

On Saturday, the defending Premier League champions suffered a huge blow to their title hopes after they were resoundingly beaten 4-0 by Spurs at the Etihad. Ange Postecoglou's side blew City away, scoring twice in the opening 20 minutes through James Maddison, with goals from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson in the second half wrapping things up for the visitors.

The defeat was City's fifth consecutive loss in all competitions, with Pep Guardiola's side now sitting five points behind Liverpool. Should the Reds beat Southampton on Sunday, they will go eight points clear of City - who they will face next weekend at Anfield in what will be a pivotal clash in the title race.

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And Liverpool boss Slot has given his verdict on the City defeat. Speaking ahead of the clash against Southampton, Slot said: "In general we only play in weeks, once this week has ended we've got Newcastle away and Everton away, the dropping of points of City doesn't mean that much for us.

"We have to come here and get a result and that should be a win but that's not going to be easy. Yes Southampton are in 20th place but it's a team that in my opinion has played much better than the league table shows us."

While true Liverpool's games against Newcastle at St James' Park, and Everton at Goodison Park won't be easy fixtures, the Reds do have an unbelievable opportunity to put themselves in an unthinkable position over the course of their next few matches.

Beating Southampton and City would move Slot's side 11 points clear of Guardiola and co, who right now look like they can't buy a win.

Much of the talk leading into Manchester City's game against Tottenham centered around how Pep Guardiola's contract extension would probably be the shot in the arm his players needed after a run of four successive defeats.

In the opening few minutes at the Etihad Stadium, it looked as though that might be the case as City sparked attack after attack, but the game turned on its head in the 13th minute when Dejan Kulusevski's perfect cross was turned home by James Maddison.

Just seven minutes later, Maddison scored again to double the visitors' lead, producing a delicately dinked finish to beat Ederson after a brilliantly worked one-two with Heung-min Son.

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The manner in which Spurs took control of the match in the blink of an eye would certainly cause concern for Guardiola. City went into the match off the back of losses to Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting Lisbon and Brighton, and the absence of the champions' Ballon d'Or winning midfielder, Rodri, is clearly being keenly felt.

However, one Liverpool fan on social media platform X suggested that City's problems run deeper than the absence of its best player, suggesting that the run of form Guardiola's men are currently on is evidence that their era of dominance is over.

"This City side is us in 22/23," X user @LFCLaurie said. "A team past its prime where the majority of their legs have gone. This isn’t a blip like previous years where they’ll go on a 15 game unbeaten run. They’re genuinely washed."

Liverpool fans will not have fond memories of the 2022-23 season; the Reds finished fifth in the Champions League and suffered early exits in each cup competition.

At the end of that campaign, Jurgen Klopp began the process of overhauling his ageing squad — particularly the leggy midfield — with Fabinho, Jordan Henderson, Naby Keita, James Milner and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all leaving, to be replaced by younger players in Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister.

City went on to lose 4-0 against Tottenham, handing Liverpool the chance to go eight points clear at the top of the table when Arne Slot's men travel to Southampton on Sunday.

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has been handed a seven-match domestic suspension and a huge fine by the Football Association due to comments he made about his teammate Son Heung-min in June.

The Uruguayan midfielder was filmed in a social media clip saying that South Korean people "all look the same" during an interview in Spanish on the television show 'Por La Camiseta'.

When asked by the host if he could obtain a Spurs player's shirt, Bentancur replied, "Sonny's? " and then added, "It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."

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The FA stated that Bentancur breached FA Rule E3.1 by acting improperly and using abusive and/or insulting words, bringing the game into disrepute. The statement also noted that this constitutes an "aggravated breach" under FA Rule E3.2, as it included a reference to nationality, race, and/or ethnic origin.

Son accepted Bentancur's apology, writing on social media: "He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologized. Lolo [Bentancur] would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all.

"We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one."

Bentancur has been a regular feature for Tottenham this season, making 15 appearances across all competitions and netting his first goal in last Sunday's 2-1 loss to Ipswich. The Uruguayan midfielder recently returned to international duty after serving a four-match ban following altercations in the aftermath of Uruguay's Copa America exit at the hands of Colombia last summer.

However, he now faces another spell on the sidelines, pending an appeal, which will see him miss Premier League fixtures against Manchester City, Fulham, Bournemouth, Chelsea, Southampton and Liverpool, as well as the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on December 19. He could potentially return to domestic action when Spurs travel to Nottingham Forest on Boxing Day.

Despite the ban, Bentancur will be available for Europa League matches, making him eligible for the home game against Roma on November 28 and the away fixture at Rangers on December 12.

Tottenham youngster Wilson Odobert has been sidelined following surgery on his troublesome hamstring injury. The 19-year-old winger, who made the move from Burnley for $32million in the summer, has seen limited action on the pitch with just 162 Premier League minutes to his name.

Despite a promising start with two early season appearances, Odobert's right hamstring issue flared up, leading to an extended absence after his brief return in Spurs' 1-0 Europa League victory over AZ Alkmaar on October 24.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou shared the unfortunate news: "The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment, is Wilson," he said in a press briefing.

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"He's had a setback during the week and it seems like it's a serious one, so we're waiting for more information. It's not exactly the same [injury] but same area."

Following this setback, the club announced that Odobert had gone under the knife in hopes of achieving a long-term solution. The team's statement confirmed: "We can confirm that Wilson Odobert underwent surgery to his right hamstring yesterday (Saturday 16th November)."

They further reassured fans that Odobert will be under thorough medical supervision to ascertain his recovery timeline but he is unlikely to return to action until into 2025.

That means he will miss the hectic festive fixture schedule with Spurs facing some difficult matches, including a visit of Liverpool before Christmas, on December 22.

Postecoglou's men return to Premier League action against Manchester City on Saturday before taking on Roma in the Europa League. There are also matches against Bournemouth, Chelsea, Fulham and Nottingham Forest to come before the start of the New Year.

Tottenham midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur is facing a seven-game domestic suspension from the FA for remarks made about teammate Son Heung-min last summer.

In a social media video that went viral, Bentancur commented in an interview on 'Por La Camiseta,' a Uruguayan TV show, suggesting that "all South Korean people look the same".

The controversy arose when Spurs midfielder Bentancur was asked if he could snag a Spurs shirt for the host, to which he responded "Sonny's? " and then quipped "It could be Sonny's cousin too as they all look the same."

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Earlier this year, the FA charged Bentancur with an 'aggravated breach' of their regulations. Following this, Bentancur took to Instagram to apologize for what he termed "a very bad joke".

Son has since accepted the apology, expressing on social media "He made a mistake, he knows this and has apologized. Lolo [Bentancur] would not mean to ever intentionally say something offensive. We are brothers and nothing has changed at all."

Adding "We're past this, we're united, and we will be back together in pre-season to fight for our club as one."

Despite the controversy, Bentancur has been a regular feature for Spurs this season but had previously been sidelined from the Uruguay team due to a separate four-match ban post-Copa America altercations.