Liverpool are favorites, but Tottenham are in very good shape. Klopp’s team has a 64-match unbeaten streak at Anfield. The top match of the EPL is coming.
The group stage of the Champions League is over, but we still have some cool games in the middle of the week. The English Premier League offers the absolute top match of ‘English Week’: the leader against the second place!
However, what does it mean to be a leader and a runner-up when teams have equal points and balance (7 wins, 4 draws, 1 loss)? In short: Tottenham and Liverpool could not have met each other better than this. The only thing that makes Jose Mourinho’s team better than Jürgen Klopp in the tournament table is the ratio of balls – Tottenham 14, Liverpool 9.
This match at Anfield will be quite emotional due to the fact that on December 14 the former head coach of Liverpool, a man very respected by the Merseysiders, Gerard Houllier, passed away.
The recent history of mutual meetings is undoubtedly on the Liverpool side – the Merseysiders have beaten Tottenham in the last 5 matches in all competitions. It is also noteworthy that in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Liverpool, led by Jürgen Klopp, played a total of 51 matches against the teams in the top six of the Premier League table and won 24 of them (19 draws, 8 defeats).
Liverpool have won all six home games in the currents EPL season, but Tottenham is unbeaten after the 1st round.
Liverpool are no longer in top form in recent games, which can be explained by a busy schedule and injuries. Fact: Jürgen Klopp’s team has drawn 3 of the last 6 official matches, lost 1 and won only 2. In 5 of these 6 matches, less than 2.5 goals were scored. However, Liverpool are still considered favorites against Tottenham – at least because the Merseysiders have won all six of their six home games in the current English Championship. It should also be mentioned that Klopp’s team scored in the first half of all six home matches in the Premier League and won 4 halves of it. Plus this: Liverpool have conceded more than 2.5 goals in all six home games, with Merseyside scoring in the last 15 minutes of the game in five games.
How realistic is it for Tottenham to fight for the championship? If we look only at the seasons in which Mourinho’s teams ended the Premier League season with Jose, we find that the Portuguese teams also went to the place they were after 12 rounds at the end of the season. Moreover, after losing to Everton in the first round, Tottenham is unbeaten in the Premier League. It should also be noted that after the first round match against Everton, Tottenham have scored at least 1 goal in every Premier League match.