11/25Liverpool (4-3-3): Alisson; Trent Alexander-Arnold; Jarell Quansah; Virgil van Dijk; Andrew Robertson; Harvey Elliott; Wataru Endo; Alexis Mac Allister; Mohamed Salah; Cody Gakpo; Luis Díaz;
Tottenham (4-3-3): Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro; Cristian Romero; Micky van de Ven; Emerson Royal; Yves Bissouma; Pape Matar Sarr; Rodrigo Bentancur; Dejan Kulusevski; Heung-min Son; Brennan Johnson;
Today’s match, between Liverpool and Tottenham at Anfield, was supposed to be crucial in the title race, but at the most critical moment, the Merseysiders collapsed. But the absolute same can be said for Spurs, who missed countless chances to get close to Aston Villa in the Champions League battle, and now only a miracle can qualify them for the rich man’s tournament.
Liverpool sent out a horrendous month of April, which last year was disastrous for Arsenal, and this year proved to be so for the Reds from the city of the Beatles. In their previous five league games, the Reds have only managed to win away against Fulham. Jurgen Klopp lost his last derby to Everton and, in the previous round, officially waved the white towel in a 2-2 draw against West Ham in London.
Tottenham entered an extremely tough run of games, and it doesn’t get any easier until the end. Spurs are without a point in their last four games. In each of them, Postecoglou’s boys have underperformed, having been brought back to life by a fractious error from David Raya in the derby with Arsenal, which was lost 2-3. A 0-2 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge was also conceded during the week, and this series started with a 0-4 defeat at St James’s Park.
Jurgen Klopp’s stay at Liverpool will end with a Carabao Cup trophy, not the treble dreamed of by the club’s fans. However, with three rounds to go, Anfield will be able to demonstrate their love for the German specialist, and his players should thank him for what he has done for the club.
One of the most infamous sending-offs this season was in the first match between the two teams when fate decided a Matip own goal in the 96th minute to bring the 2-1 success for Tottenham, who finished the game with two more men on the pitch. Today, I expect a rematch for what happened on September 30, which will end Liverpool’s Champions League claims. Liverpool has been without a loss in the Anfield rivalry since 2011 and has had only four setbacks in the past few years. I think it’s even redundant to mention that games of over 2.5 goals scored between the two teams prevail.