Tottenham v Liverpool predicted line-ups and how to follow: Salah eyes Premier League history as Reds look to be top at Christmas

Liverpool can secure top spot in the Premier League at Christmas if they beat Tottenham on Sunday afternoon. 

The Reds have not sat at the top of the table on December 25 since 2020/21, a season in which they didn’t end up going on to win the title. 

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They did win the league in 2019/20 after leading the way over the festive period, so Arne Slot will be hoping for a repeat of that. 

Slot’s side are on a huge unbeaten streak at the moment and haven’t lost a game in any competition since September. 

And they’ll be aiming to continue that against Spurs who finally got back to winning ways by cruising to a 5-0 win against Southampton last week. 

That victory relieved some pressure on Ange Postecoglou, who was further boosted by their Carabao Cup win over Manchester United on Thursday.

Tottenham vs Liverpool: Magical Mo 

Mohamed Salah has gone up to another level this season.

He’s been involved in 22 of Liverpool’s 31 Premier League goals, which is by far the highest share of any player for their team (71 per cent). 

The Egyptian King has 13 goals and nine assists in the top-flight in just 15 games. 

That incredible tally now has him on the brink of some English football history. 

If he provides an assist against Tottenham this weekend, Salah will become the first player ever to reach double figures for goals and assists before Christmas. 

What an unbelievable achievement that would be for the Reds legend, who may just be playing in his final campaign at the club.

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• Tottenham won this exact fixture 2-1 last season, last winning consecutive home league games against Liverpool between 2008 and 2012 (a run of five).
• Liverpool have lost just two of their last 23 Premier League games against Tottenham (W15 D6) and have scored at least once in each of their last 17 against Spurs.
• Tottenham won this exact fixture 2-1 last season thanks to a 90th-minute Joel Matip own goal. Indeed, this fixture has seen more 90th-minute winning goals than any other in Premier League history (6).

Tottenham vs Liverpool: Predicted line-ups

Tottenham’s long injury list remains and it means Postecoglou will have to continue to play a makeshift defence. 

Guglielmo Vicario, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are sidelined while Destiny Udogie missed the cup game against Man United.

It means Fraser Forster will likely be in goal again despite his struggles in midweek, with Radu Dragusin partnering Archie Gray at centre-back and Djed Spence at full-back.

Rodrigo Bentancur is serving the last of his seven-game ban so he’s still sidelined, meaning Pape Matar Sarr will be in midfield. 

Yves Bissouma is back from his suspension and is likely to be next to Sarr, with Lucas Bergvall unluckily missing out after a great performance last week. 

James Maddison will sit in front of them while captain Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski provide width and Dominic Solanke leads the line. 

As for Liverpool, Slot rotated massively in the Carabao Cup in midweek, so he has all of his star players fit and ready to start. 

On top of that, Andy Robertson served his suspension against Southampton and will be available to return in this game. 

Alisson and Virgil van Dijk were among those rested, but they will return in a defence featuring Joe Gomez and Robertson. 

Ibrahima Konate is still out and Gomez seems to be preferred to Jarell Quansah. 

In midfield, the in-form Ryan Gravenberch will be joined by Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai who will have Curts Jones competing for his place. 

Salah will of course be on the right, and Luis Diaz is expected to start on the opposite wing after he played no part in midweek. 

That would mean Cody Gakpo misses out while Darwin Nunez and Diogo Jota are left to battle it out for the striker spot. 

• Son Heung-min’s two assists against Southampton last time out took his total in the Premier League to 68 – the joint-most of any Tottenham player in the competition’s history (level with Darren Anderton).
• Spurs have scored more goals in the opening 15 minutes of games than any other side in the Premier League this season (9), with five of those coming in their last two games.

Tottenham vs Liverpool: What has been said? 

Slot explained why he rotated so much in midweek ahead of this game, but insisted he didn’t do so to help win against Tottenham. 

The Liverpool boss said on Wednesday: “It would be normal if I play with all the regular starters that we have a better team than we have tonight otherwise I make every week the wrong decision. 

“We also trust these players because we know how much quality they have. So, that’s the first reason to play these players. We have a lot of confidence in them as well.

“Second of all, it’s not about the result on Sunday, it’s more for the long-term fitness of the players that we made the decision that the ones who have played so many minutes to give them a bit of rest during this week.

“Because the schedule is going to be intense again in the upcoming weeks. For the ones who have played a lot, only 45 or 60 minutes, and the ones who haven’t played a lot play 90. 

“That’s what we did, and it was good for us that it was enough to win it.”

• Tottenham have kept just one clean sheet in their last 23 Premier League home games, a 4-0 win against Everton earlier this season. They’re winless in their last three at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (D1 L2), last having a longer run without a home win in November/December 2013 (4).
• Having conceded just three goals in their first eight Premier League games this season, Liverpool have now conceded 10 in their last seven. Their last two games have been drawn 3-3 with Newcastle and 2-2 with Fulham, with the Reds last drawing three straight league games in the same season back in October 2015.

Tottenham vs Liverpool: Date and how to follow 

This Premier League clash will take place on Sunday, December 22. 

Kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is scheduled for 4:30pm. 

The game will be broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League. 

If not already an existing Sky Sports customer, fans can sign up here or you can sign up for a NOW TV membership here to watch the action.

talkSPORT will also be across all the latest news and updates. 

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