Tottenham v Liverpool predictions: Rusty home defence could be punished by Reds

Free football tips, best bets and analysis for Tottenham v Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Premier League & Main Event, 4.30pm Sunday

Best bet

Liverpool to win & over 2.5 goals
3pts 13-10 general

Team news

Tottenham
Spurs are preparing for their first game since December 4 due to a Covid outbreak and they are likely to be without Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura and Emerson Royal. Sergio Reguilon should be fit to start.

Liverpool
Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones remain sidelined after positive coronavirus tests. Adrian, Harvey Elliott and Nat Phillips are injured.

Match preview

Liverpool incurred the wrath of Newcastle fans on Thursday night by smashing the ball in the net while Toon midfielder Isaac Hayden was on the ground with a head injury, and there is unlikely to be any mercy shown when the relentless Reds take on recovering Tottenham on Sunday.

Facing Liverpool is hard enough at the best of times so Tottenham, returning from a two-week Covid-enforced break, may struggle to halt the rampant Reds' Premier League charge.

Spurs boss Antonio Conte has won his last three home matches in the league, seeing off Leeds 2-1, Brentford 2-0 and Norwich 3-0, but the victory over the Canaries on December 5 was the last game his side played.

A coronavirus outbreak meant a Europa Conference League clash with Rennes and subsequent league matches against Brighton and Leicester had to be called off and Conte's squad will still be depleted this weekend.

His opposite number Jurgen Klopp is missing Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho due to positive Covid tests but Liverpool breezed past Newcastle 3-1 on Thursday without that pair and their forwards should be too sharp for a rusty Spurs defence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Liverpool conceded a seventh-minute opener against the Magpies but roared back to lead after 25 minutes thanks to goals from Diogo Jota and, inevitably, Mohamed Salah before a long-range strike from Trent Alexander-Arnold sealed the points late on.

The Reds continued their relentless form against Newcastle, having 23 shots to their visitors' five and hogging 74 per cent of possession, and Tottenham are expected to come off second-best in terms of quality and fitness.

Liverpool look a tempting bet to win a game featuring over 2.5 goals given that they have taken three points in 12 of their last 15 away matches in the Premier League.

Nine of their last ten away wins came in matches that produced at least three goals and the only blots on their road record in the league this term were a 3-3 draw at Brentford and a 3-2 defeat at West Ham.

Klopp's men also won all six of their Champions League group matches, including entertaining away victories over Porto (5-1), Atletico Madrid (3-2) and Milan (2-1).

Liverpool have won their last six league meetings with Tottenham, with both teams scoring in five of those games, and they can extend Spurs's struggles against the better teams in the division.

Since a 1-0 home win over a depleted Manchester City side in their season opener, Tottenham have lost all four of their games against teams above them in the table, conceding three goals in defeats to Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.

Liverpool have far more firepower than those teams, especially with Roberto Firmino returning to full fitness, and they should be confident of bolstering a tally of 48 goals in 17 league games.

The Reds are clearly less secure at the back without Van Dijk, offering Tottenham a glimmer of hope, but their hosts' disrupted build-up to this fixture means a high-scoring away win looks value.

Key stat

Liverpool have scored at least twice in 15 of their last 16 away games in all competitions.

Inside info

Tottenham

Penalty taker Harry Kane
Free-kick wizard Eric Dier
Set-piece aerial threat Davinson Sanchez
Card magnet Japhet Tanganga

Liverpool

Penalty taker Mohamed Salah
Free-kick wizardTrent Alexander-Arnold
Set-piece aerial threatJoel Matip
Card magnetAndrew Robertson

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