6 months ago
126 Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur are set to lock horns in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs will both be desperate for a morale-boosting win after their respective seasons have all-but crumbled.
Liverpool were firmly in title contention up until about mid-April, when their loss to Crystal Palace set them back massively.
Then, ten days later, the Reds lost the Merseyside derby at Everton before only drawing at West Ham on 27 April to effectively end their title hopes.
Meanwhile, Tottenham were in a similar position with regards to sealing a top-four place, but similarly to the Reds, a downturn in form has likely cost them.
Three defeats in a row, to Newcastle, Arsenal and Chelsea, have now left Spurs seven points adrift of fourth-placed Aston Villa.
Every week, Chris Sutton posts his Premier League predictions on BBC Sport, and he has now had his say on Liverpool’s meeting with Tottenham.
Who does Chris Sutton think will win between Liverpool and Tottenham on Sunday?
Sutton has predicted a five-goal thriller at Anfield, backing Spurs to emerge triumphant in a 3-2 away win.
“Liverpool are not in great form and the incident with Mohamed Salah has not helped,” wrote Sutton.
“I hope he apologised to Klopp for the way he behaved on the touchline last week.
“Salah is a great player but he is no different to everyone else in the squad in that, if he doesn’t perform well, I am afraid he is droppable.
“It is going to be very interesting to see whether Salah starts this game, which should be an absolute cracker.
“I thought Tottenham’s tactics would suit Arsenal last week and allow them to hit them on the counter-attack, and the same applies here.
“When Liverpool turn the ball over, they are pretty devastating on the break, so the key for Spurs when they commit men forward will be to get the balance right. It will make for one hell of a game.
“Probably no-one fancies Spurs to come out on top, other than me, but that’s what I think will happen, with the wheels coming off for Klopp properly this time.”
Hard game to call between Liverpool and Tottenham
The Reds and Spurs are extremely unlikely to reach their ultimate goals this season, but they also need to be mindful not to slip further down the table.
With each place in the Premier League worth around £3.1million (Metro), both Liverpool and Tottenham will want to finish as high as they can.
And while Liverpool are guaranteed a top-four place, Spurs need to be mindful of Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea gunning for their Europa League berth.
With Tottenham having more to play for than Liverpool, I predict they’ll get the better of the Reds. Let’s call it 2-1 to the visitors.
