With pressure mounting on Thomas Frank, the Tottenham boss has a chance to deliver an early Christmas present against Liverpool on Saturday.
Following last weekend’s 3-0 defeat away to 17th-placed Nottingham Forest, scrutiny around Thomas Frank intensified, with sections of the fanbase openly questioning whether he should remain in the job.
That result felt like a tipping point, even if any immediate talk of change was quickly played down once it emerged that the Spurs hierarchy decided to back their head coach.
Sitting in the bottom half of the Premier League table, Tottenham have managed just 1 league win in their previous 7 matches, with their inconsistency continuing to undermine any momentum they try to build.
Liverpool arrive in North London with their own storylines this season, but crucially for Spurs, they are already finding their rhythm again.
Last season’s Premier League champions are unbeaten in their last five games in all competitions and sit 7th in the table, after a routine 2-0 victory over Brighton their last time out.
What time does Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool kick off?
Location: London, England
Stadium: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Date: Saturday, 20 December 2025
Kick-off Time: 5:30 pm BST
Referee: John Brooks
VAR: Stuart Attwell
Tottenham Hotspur vs Liverpool: Head-to-head record
The two sides met four times last season, including a dramatic Carabao Cup semi-final. Tottenham edged the first leg 1-0 in North London, only to be comprehensively beaten 4-0 at Anfield in the return fixture.
In the league, Liverpool completed a double over Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs, winning 6-3 and 5-1 in two one-sided encounters.
Overall, Tottenham’s recent record against Liverpool makes grim reading. Spurs have won just two of their last 25 Premier League meetings with the Reds (D6 L17).
Tottenham team news
Tottenham will be without both Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma, who have departed for AFCON duty with Senegal and Mali, respectively.
Injuries continue to bite, with Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski all ruled out for this weekend’s clash.
Liverpool team news
Speculation surrounding Mohamed Salah’s future briefly dominated headlines following a fall out with Arne Slot, but the Egyptian silenced much of that noise with an impressive display against Brighton, providing an assist and threatening throughout. However, he will now miss this fixture after departing for AFCON.
Joe Gomez was forced off with a hamstring issue just 25 minutes into that same match, a significant blow given Liverpool’s lack of depth at right-back, especially with Jeremie Frimpong also sidelined.
Dominic Szoboszlai is a doubt after being substituted against Brighton with what appeared to be an ankle problem.
Confirmed absentees for Liverpool include Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo.
Predicted Tottenham line-up
Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Simons, Kudus, Richarlison; Kolo Muani
Our prediction
Richarlison is one to watch here, having developed a habit of delivering against Liverpool in the past, while Xavi Simons is beginning to look increasingly at ease in a Tottenham shirt. The duo could pose real problems for a Liverpool defence that has shown signs of vulnerability, particularly through the middle.
From Spurs’ perspective, the absence of Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo will come as a relief, given the damage they inflicted last season. Even so, Hugo Ekitike arrives in strong form and remains a threat Tottenham cannot afford to ignore.
Few Spurs supporters will expect a result on paper, but the mood around the stadium will hinge heavily on performance and how many chances Tottenham can create. Thomas Frank knows that a win, or at the very least a genuinely competitive display here, would go a long way towards easing the pressure once again.
Predicted score: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Liverpool