Who: Liverpool vs. Tottenham Hotspur
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday December 20, at 5:30pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream. Click here to follow our live coverage.
When they travel to Tottenham on Saturday, reigning Premier League champions Liverpool will attempt to win the title for the first time since September, but their problems are far beyond repair.
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After a run of nine defeats in 12, manager Arne Slot was feeling more pressure. Last year, he won the title in his first year in charge.
The Anfield club’s star forward, Mohamed Salah, has been thrown into the mix, but the public backlash has not. Similar to the Spurs’ sticky run of six defeats in 10 games in October and November, the team hasn’t greatly improved since.
A game that both managers are concerned about are seen by Al Jazeera Sport.
What is the most recent news regarding Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool?
Salah has since left for Egypt for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but that has not affected his circumstances at Anfield.
Rumors had been rife that the 33-year-old’s time on Merseyside was about to end after he claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the Reds for their terrible season.
Salah was dropped from Liverpool’s squad for their Champions League game in Milan after his outburst, but the Saudi Pro League have made it known that they want to move him.
The forward did play on the bench for Brighton’s Premier League game last week, but there is likely to be rumors that he will switch to Saudi Arabia during this transfer window in January.
What transpired during Tottenham’s most recent game?
Last Sunday’s game saw the spread of rumors about Thomas Frank’s passing as Spurs manager after Tottenham were conspicuously defeated 3-0 at Nottingham Forest.
Before Ibrahim Sangare put an end to any hopes of a Spurs comeback in the 79th minute, Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the home side’s first two goals.
What transpired during Liverpool’s most recent game?
With a 2-0 victory over Brighton at Anfield on Saturday, Liverpool put the Salah saga and future speculation aside.
Hugo Ekitike scored both goals in the opening minute of the match, while Salah served as a substitute in the opening minute and assisted with the second from a corner kick.
It’s still unclear whether Salah’s final game as a Red was that.
How has Tottenham performed this season in the Premier League?
With just one defeat in their first seven games, Tottenham’s Premier League campaign came to an end in Frank’s first year in charge. The North Londoners have since lost five of their previous nine league games.
In their final four matches, Forest suffered a defeat, which included two wins and two wins, respectively, in the midst of a six-game losing streak in all competitions. However, the league has only one win in seven games, which has caused Spurs to fall into the bottom half.
How have Liverpool’s Premier League performances been this year?
Liverpool won all seven of their opening seven games of the season, with the exception of Crystal Palace’s penalty-winning preseason Community Shield defeat.
Following that, four straight defeats came, which set the record-tying tally of nine defeats in 12. The Reds have lost six of their 11 matches while winning only three of them in the Premier League. The Anfield club are now in seventh place, 10 points clear of leaders Arsenal when they travel to Everton on Saturday evening, after winning their first five league games of the season.
How much pressure is Thomas Frank, the manager of Tottenham, facing?
Tottenham’s victory in the UEFA Europa League last season was insufficient to prevent Ange Postecoglou from being fired at the end of the campaign. Due to the recent series of matches, Frank has been put under a lot of pressure.
The biggest rumor has been that Xavi, a former Barcelona and Spain midfielder, is being considered to take Frank’s place.
Spurs have long been known as a club that can’t be called a “sacking,” with Frank being the fifth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino to be fired in 2019.
In addition to being the longest tenure a Spurs manager in recent years, Nuno Espirito Santo’s tenure lasted only four months and two days during his 2021 tenure in charge.
What transpired during Tottenham’s most recent encounter with Liverpool?
In the Premier League match between Tottenham and Liverpool in April, Liverpool defeated them 5-1 at Anfield.
Before Luis Diaz, Alexis Mac Allister, and Cody Gakpo responded for the Reds by the break, Dominic Solanke gave Spurs a 12-minute lead.
In the second period, Destiny Udogie’s own goal and Mohamed Salah made it 2-0.
What transpired in the Tottenham vs. Liverpool match of the year?
Liverpool won the first game of the previous campaign with a nine-goal thriller at Tottenham on December 22. That was their Premier League double last year.
Diaz and Salah both scored braces in the Reds’ 6-3 victory, which the away side had already led 3-1 at the break and 5-1 at the break.
When did Liverpool last last defeat Tottenham?
In the first leg of their League Cup semifinal match, Tottenham did manage to defeat Liverpool last season. Spurs needed another 1-0 victory, but the Reds had the final laugh when they won 4-0 at Anfield in the follow-up game.
The only goal scored in London was scored by Lucas Bergvall, but Gakpo’s first-half strike set the record at the break for the second leg. Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Virgil van Dijk came to terms with the second half.
When did Tottenham last last defeat Liverpool in the Premier League?
Tottenham won the last league game 2-1 away at Liverpool in September 2023.
Spurs’ opening 10 minutes after Curtis Jones was red in the 26th minute saw Son Hueng-min net.
On the cue of half-time, Gakpo scored for the Reds, but Diogo Jota’s marching orders came into effect in the 69th minute before Joel Matip put through his own net in the final minute.
Head-to-head
With Liverpool winning 90 games and Tottenham winning 50, the two teams have met in their 186th meeting.
The first game took place in November 1909, when Tottenham won 1-0 in London against the previous division one (now the Premier League). In March 1910, Liverpool won the following game 2-0.
news from the Tottenham team
Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin are still deemed to be short of match fitness because they have all recovered from knocks, while James Maddison, Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke, and Dejan Kulusevski are all still injured.
Due to the absence of eight players for Liverpool’s trip, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are both scheduled for the Africa Cup of Nations.
news from the Liverpool team
Salah started the last four league games on the bench, but he is Liverpool’s top absentee.
Conor Bradley is suspended, while Cody Gakpo, Giovanni Leoni, and Wataru Endo suffer injuries.
Both Joe Gomez and Dominik Szoboszlai are doubtful for the Brighton game, but Jeremie Frimpong is on the verge of recovering from a hamstring injury.
Starting lineup for Tottenham is anticipated
Vicario, Porro, Romero, Richarlison, Van de Ven, Spence, Palhinha, Bergvall, Kudus, Simons, Kolo Muani, and Richarlison are just a few examples of the characters.
