Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool 12/01/20

12 January 2020

One of the most highly anticipated fixtures on January football schedule takes place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend, as Tottenham Hotspur take on the Premier League (PL) toppers Liverpool.

Although Spurs oversaw an upturn in results after Jose Mourinho’s arrival, their form has endured another drop off recently, with Tottenham picking up just two wins in their last five PL outings (D1, L2). While three of those matches during that five-game sequence produced over 2.5 goals and witnessed both teams score, three of their results (win/loss) in that period have come via a single-goal margin. That’s, however, a sharp contrast to their recent home form. The Londoners have won four of their last five competitive home fixtures (L1), scoring over 2.5 goals in three of those successes. But, Tottenham’s defensive frailties have seen them concede at least one goal in eight of their previous ten home matches in all competitions, which could be a huge problem against free-scoring Liverpool.

The visitors have found the net in all 20 of their top-flight fixtures so far this campaign, scoring 2+ match goals on 17 of those occasions. Only Manchester City have netted more PL goals than Liverpool (49) so far, although just 40% of those of Liverpool’s goals have come away from home. Four successive PL away triumphs ahead of this trip will certainly boost the reigning Champions League holders’ confidence in their effort to post a fifth consecutive triumph over Tottenham in all competitions. That will be a daunting prospect, however, as they’ve pulled off just one victory in their last four top-flight trips to London (W1, D1, L2), scoring under 1.5 goals in three of those H2H meetings. Jurgen Klopp can, nonetheless, rely on a rock-solid backline to deliver him another success here, as the Merseysiders have kept a blank sheet in all five of their previous competitive outings.