Salah

 

The best attacking team in the Premier League take on the league leaders on Sunday as Tottenham Hotspur host Liverpool in the final match before Christmas Day.  

 

 

Ange Postecoglou’s men are averaging 2.3 goals per game in the English top-flight and have scored at least three goals in their seven Premier League wins this term. Spurs have hit four or more in five of their seven victories too. It is very much a case of feast or famine this season as in the nine games they haven’t won, they’ve scored a combined nine goals.  

 

Tottenham head into this game in decent form, despite their injury crisis. Spurs romped to a 5-0 win over Southampton last weekend before making hard work of the EFL Cup quarter-final against Manchester United, eventually claiming a 4-3 win on Thursday evening.  

 

In three of the last four games played by Spurs across all comps, there have been a minimum of five goals.  

 

Liverpool’s games are much more controlled. The Reds have conceded the fewest number of goals on a per 90 minute basis (0.9) and have kept the most clean sheets in the league (7). Although they have been conceding more goals recently, allowing Fulham and Newcastle United to score a combined five. Still, the idea from Arne Slot is to control everything; the ball and the space. Postecoglou, however, just wants chaos.  

 

So how might this impact the game on Sunday afternoon? With such focus on style, and with such a contrast between the two teams, the key battles will be a deciding factor. Win your own and you increase the chance of your team winning the match.  

 

Djed Spence vs Mohamed Salah 

 

Spence made his first Premier League start for Spurs last weekend, 881 days after signing for the club. The versatile full-back spent time out on loan with Rennes, Leeds United and Genoa following his move from Middlesbrough in 2022.  

 

An injury crisis has given him an opportunity and he made the most of it against Southampton, setting up the opening goal after just 36 seconds. He also grabbed another assist in the win over Manchester United as Spurs reached the semi-finals.  

 

He’s going to be up against arguably the best player in the league this weekend in Mohamed Salah. The Liverpool No.11 is the joint-top scorer in the league with 13 while only Bukayo Saka (10) can eclipse his return of nine assists.  

 

The 32-year-old has 12 goals and two assists against Spurs in 20 appearances ranging from Basel, to Fiorentina, to Chelsea and now Liverpool. He’s been the difference-maker for the league leaders this season. Stop him and you likely stop them.  

 

 

Radu Dragusin vs Luis Diaz 

 

Injuries to Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven has resulted in Radu Dragusin being promoted to key centre-back. The former Genoa defender arrived with a big reputation but it is apparent that he is still learning on the job.  

 

He’s going to have to be at his very best to repel an attack that has scored in 14 of their 15 Premier League games this season.  

 

Even though Diogo Jota has returned, and made an impact in each of his two cameos, it is unlikely that he will start on Sunday. With Cody Gakpo being hauled off after an hour of the EFL Cup quarter-final against Southampton, the likelihood is that the Dutchman will start on the left against Spurs with Luis Diaz leading the line. Darwin Nunez played the entire 90 minutes against the Saints, which points to him not starting on Sunday.  

 

Diaz is all about intelligent movement as a centre-forward and this could be problematic. Dragusin probably fancied him in a physical battle against Nunez. It’ll be interesting to see how the Romania international deals with the subtleness of the Liverpool No.7.  

 

It is worth noting, however, that the one-time Porto man is without a goal in the Premier League since September. With the attack looking stacked now everyone is back from injury, the pressure is on Diaz to deliver before Slot looks to make a change.  

 

 

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Dominic Solanke vs Joe Gomez 

 

Spurs paid a club-record fee to bring Solanke to the club from Bournemouth. It raised a few eyebrows at the time. The 2023/24 campaign was the first time the former Liverpool man had consistently performed in the Premier League. Going big on him was a gamble.  

 

It appears to be paying off, though. While he’s not been the most prolific this term, he has found the back of the net in big games. He scored against Manchester United, in both the league and the cup, and in the win over Aston Villa and the 4-3 loss to Chelsea. He also assisted in the 4-0 dismantling of Manchester City. He has four goal involvements in his last four appearances for Postecoglou’s side.  

 

He’ll no doubt be desperate to find the back of the net against another of his former sides. He’s probably confident of doing so, too. The Reds have given up two goals in games against Southampton, Fulham and Newcastle over the past month.  

 

With Ibrahima Konate still out injured, Gomez will get the nod alongside Van Dijk despite starting the game against Southampton on Wednesday at left-back. His performances can vary from brilliant to utterly frustrating. If he’s having one of the latter games for Liverpool on Sunday, Solanke could have a lot of joy.

Tottenham vs Liverpool Preview: The Key Battles in Sunday's Blockbuster Premier League Clash