Liverpool return to league football this weekend as they prepare to host relegation-threatened Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield. Both teams will be looking to shrug off a miserable time away in Europe with a win on the weekend. 

Match Preview

For all Liverpool's failings this season, none compare to the absolute disaster show Spurs are currently going through.  Currently 16th, a point ahead of Nottingham Forest and West Ham, the London club is now expected to slip into the relegation zone if their form, with no league wins since the beginning of December, continues. 

However, despite being on the end of a mauling by Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, Spurs may have gained some confidence after being 4-0 down after 25 minutes, before managing to stabilise and leave the Metropolitano Stadium with the scores 5-2, and not the ‘cricket score’ it initially appeared to be. 

Meanwhile, for Liverpool, coming away from the Rams Stadium against Galatasaray with just a single goal deficit is probably the least bad outcome, and they will be confident of turning the tide around at Anfield next week. But, as with a lot of matches this season, it wasn't the defeat that was the issue; it was the manner of that defeat. 

Once again, Liverpool looked weak at the back, and toothless up front, and against a better side - Liverpool's European adventure would be over for another season, even before the second leg. So, they should probably be thankful that their next opponents are this season's ‘banter team'. 

The problems at Spurs are legion at this point and would massively derail this article if I were to go into detail, but suffice to say, the leadership within the club has failed to stop a rot that has largely been in place since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019. 

Team News

Allison Becker remains sidelined following a training ground injury last week. He joins Federico Chiesa, as well as the usual suspects of Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, and Alexander Isak, in the treatment room. 

On the plus side, Allison's injury allows Giorgi Mamardashvili an extended run in the first team, after an impressive performance in Istanbul, something he'll desperately need if he is to be the Brazilian's long-term replacement. 

In the away camp, arguably, injuries have been the catalyst for Tottenham's disastrous season. In November, they had 12 first-team players out, and eight remain unavailable.

Notably, Dejan Kulusevski, Rodrigo Bentancur, and James Maddison - with 139 appearances between them last season - are all out until the end of the season. On top of this, Micky van de Ven is suspended following his red card against Crystal Palace, meaning Spurs will be without two left defenders, with Cristian Romero also out injured.

The list goes on, but with interim manager Igor Tudor unable to improve performances on the pitch, Tottenham Hotspur's injury crisis only highlights how weak they currently are.

Predicted XI

Liverpool: Mamardashvili, Kerkez, Van Dijk, Konate, Frimpong, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Gakpo, Wirtz, Ngumoha, Ekitike

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Spence, Dragusin, Danso, Porro, Gray, Sarr, Kolo Muani, Richarlison, Tel

Score Prediction

Liverpool 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur

Liverpool will need to be far more disciplined defensively than they were in Turkey, tightening things up at the back. If the Reds’ forward line is more clinical than it was against Galatasaray, they should create enough chances to control the game against a Spurs side clutching at straws to hang on to that safe 17th spot.