Who: Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool
Content: English Premier League
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, England
Date and time: Saturday, December 20th, 5:30pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: All content will be broadcast on Al Jazeera Sports from 17:00 GMT, ahead of the text commentary stream. Click here to follow the live coverage.
Defending champions Liverpool visit Tottenham on Saturday as they seek to win back-to-back Premier League titles for the first time since September, but the Reds’ woes will not be a distant memory.
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The pressure on coach Arne Slott, who won the title in his first season in charge last year, has increased after losing nine of 12 matches.
A public spat between the Anfield club and their star forward Mohamed Salah has cast a shadow over the slot situation, but it hasn’t gone away. The Spurs had a similarly tenacious run with six losses in 10 games between October and November, but have barely improved since then.
Al Jazeera Sports has covered the match in which both managers are concerned about their immediate futures.
What’s the latest on Mohamed Salah’s future at Liverpool?
Salah is currently heading to Egypt for the 2025 African Cup of Nations, but the situation at Anfield remains unchanged.
Rumors had been circulating that the 33-year-old’s time on Merseyside was nearing an end after he claimed he had been “thrown under the bus” by the Reds, who have had a disastrous season after being benched for three games in a row.
The Saudi Pro League have made no secret of their desire to sign Salah, who was left out of Liverpool’s squad for the Champions League match in Milan following his abusive comments.
The forward returned to the bench during last week’s Premier League visit to Brighton, but his AFCON absence is likely to fuel speculation that he could move to Saudi Arabia in the January transfer window.
What happened in Tottenham’s last game?
Tottenham were thrashed 3-0 by Nottingham Forest last Sunday, amid rumors of Spurs manager Thomas Frank’s departure.
Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the home side’s first two goals before Ibrahim Sangare ended Spurs’ hopes of a comeback in the 79th minute.
What happened in Liverpool’s last game?
Liverpool beat Brighton 2-0 at Anfield last Saturday, putting aside the Salah controversy and speculation over Slot’s future.
Hugo Ekitike scored both goals in the opening minute, while Salah came on as a substitute early in the first half and assisted the second goal from a corner kick.
It remains to be seen whether that was Salah’s last match for the red team.
How have Tottenham fared in the Premier League this season?
Tottenham started the Premier League, Frank’s first time as manager, with just one loss in the opening seven games. The north Londoners have since lost five of their last nine league games.
They lost six games in 10 games in all competitions, but after that they won two games in all competitions and lost to Forest in the last four competitions. However, they only won one of seven in the league, which meant Spurs slipped into the bottom half of the table.
How have Liverpool fared in the Premier League this season?
Liverpool won their opening seven games in all competitions, with the exception of a penalty shootout loss to Crystal Palace in the pre-season Community Shield.
A four-game losing streak followed, beginning a nine-game losing streak in 12 seasons. In the Premier League, the Reds have only won three of their 11 games, but lost six. Thanks to wins in their first five league games of the season, the Anfield club have maintained their place in the top half of the league and will start the second round in seventh place, 10 points behind leaders Arsenal, who travel to Everton on Saturday night.
How much pressure is Tottenham manager Thomas Frank under?
Tottenham were eliminated from the UEFA Europa League last season, but it was not enough to stop manager Ange Postecoglou from being sacked at the end of the season. Due to the recent flow of games, there is a lot of pressure on Frank.
The biggest rumor is that former Spain midfielder Xavi is a candidate to replace Franck.
Spurs are notorious for being a sacking club, and Frank becomes their fifth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019.
Even if Frank is shown the door, his tenure wouldn’t be the shortest Spurs manager in recent memory – Nuno Espirito Santo was only there for four months and two days in 2021.
What happened the last time Tottenham played Liverpool?
The last time the two sides met was in April, when Liverpool beat Tottenham 5-1 in the Premier League at Anfield.
Dominic Solanke’s goal in the 12th minute put Spurs ahead, and by the end of the first half the Reds had responded with Luis Dias, Alexis Mac Allister and Cody Gakpo responding.
Own goals from Mohamed Salah and Destiny Udogi ended the rout in the second period.
What happened in the corresponding match between Tottenham and Liverpool last year?
It was Liverpool’s second Premier League title last season, as they won their first game of last season in a thrilling nine-goal game against Tottenham on December 22nd.
Dias and Salah both scored twice as the Reds won 6-3, with the visitors leading 3-1 at half-time and 5-1 up by the 61st minute.
When was the last time Tottenham beat Liverpool?
In fact, Tottenham managed to defeat Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup semi-final last season. However, a 1-0 home win was not enough for Spurs and the Reds had the last laugh with a 4-0 win in their return match at Anfield.
Lukas Bergvall scored the only goal in London, with the aggregate score level at the second leg break after Gakpo’s first-half goal. Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk sorted things out in the second period.
When was the last time Tottenham beat Liverpool in the Premier League?
Tottenham’s last league win against Liverpool came in September 2023, when they won 2-1 at home.
Curtis Jones was sent off in the 26th minute and Son Heung-min scored Spurs’ first goal 10 minutes later.
Gakpo equalized for the Reds just before half-time, but things got worse in the second half, with Diogo Jota given his marching orders in the 69th minute before Joel Matip found his own net in the final minute.
direct confrontation
This will be the 186th time the two teams have faced each other, with Liverpool winning 90 times and Tottenham 50 times.
The first match was played in London in November 1909 in the former Division One (now Premier League), with Spurs winning 1-0. Liverpool won 2-0 in the return match of the season in March 1910.
tottenham team news
James Maddison, Destiny Udogi, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured, while Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin are still considered not fit for competition as they return from knocks.
Frank will be without eight players for Liverpool’s visit, as Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are both playing in the African Cup of Nations.
liverpool team news
Salah is Liverpool’s biggest absentee, with the Egyptian starting on the bench in their last four league games.
Cody Gakpo, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo were injured and Conor Bradley was suspended.
Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez are doubts after taking knocks against Brighton, while Jeremy Frimpong is close to returning from a hamstring injury.
Tottenham’s starting lineup predictions
Vicario. Polo, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence. Parinya, Bergvall. Kudus, Simmons, Kolo Muani. Richarlison
Liverpool’s expected starting lineup
Alison. Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkes. Mac Allister, Gravenbirch. Chiesa, Jones, Wirtz. Equitique
