Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson has shared his prediction ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Jurgen Klopp’s side have now had the best of starts to the season and have lost each of their last two league outings against Nottingham Forest and Leeds United, dropping to ninth in the standings ahead of this weekend’s action.
Tottenham sealed their place in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday night in dramatic fashion after Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg scored a stoppage time winner to ensure they won Group D, but it came at a cost, with Heung-min Son requiring surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye.
Merson believes that without Son, Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison in the team, Harry Kane will cut somewhat of an isolated figure in attack and backed Liverpool to take all three points back to Merseyside.
He told SportsKeeda: “This is a huge game. I expect Man City to win their Premier League game this weekend, and that would mean that Liverpool would be 16 points behind City before they start their game. If all the other big teams win their matches, they’d be 10 points behind fifth place this week. They’ve got to try and get into the top four.
“Liverpool have defeated Napoli, Ajax, and Manchester City, but have lost to Leeds and Nottingham Forest. Had they won both those games, they would’ve been in sixth place. It’s extraordinary, and Jurgen Klopp must be pulling his hair out. Every week that goes by, the gap between Liverpool and the top four gets bigger. They can’t afford to lose this game.
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“People do say that there’s a lot of time left in the season, but that isn’t really the case. If they had won their Premier League matches against Leeds and Forest, a draw here would’ve been fine. Now, they’re in a sticky situation. It’s nearly impossible to chase five teams down when you’re 10 points behind them. You might catch up to one or two, but you won’t catch up to all of them.
“When Mohamed Salah plays on the wing and Roberto Firmino plays, he brings the centre-back with him. It leaves Salah with space to run inside. When Darwin Nunez plays, he’s the focal point, and there’s nowhere for Salah to run except down the wing. You can’t score goals from there, and that’s been his problem this season.
“Everybody’s been highlighting Fabinho on this run. He’s been out of the team and injured as well, and I still think he’s a good player. He’s not the only player in their midfield. Liverpool’s midfield trio has been the bedrock of their success, and it’s just not clicking at the moment.
“With Son, Kulusevski, and Richarlison injured, Harry Kane will be isolated up front. I’ve watched Tottenham a lot this season, and I don’t think Kane can do it on his own. Liverpool like their Premier League away games against Tottenham, and they will back themselves to win this game.
“Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Liverpool.”
SpursWeb Opinion
Tottenham’s lack of attacking options for this game is a massive concern and it will remain to be seen whether Conte will revert back to a 3-5-2 and play Kane in attack alongside Lucas Moura.
Liverpool will be hungry to make up lost ground in the table and it will be a difficult afternoon for the home side who have to start games brighter than what they have against Sporting, Bournemouth and Marseille or it could be over by half time.
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