Spurs have a one goal lead from the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Liverpool, but will that be anything like enough against the Premier League leaders?
By Ian King
Form since the first leg
Spurs managed a workmanlike win at Brentford last weekend on top of an eventual Europa League win against Elfsborg, so they have a little more spring in their step than they did a couple of weeks ago. But that may not be enough to slow the giant, red steamroller that is slowly moving towards them.
Liverpool lost at PSV in their final Champions League match, but they did finish atop the 36-team Megagroup. They’re unbeaten in the Premier League since the 14th September. They’re six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a game in hand, though that game in hand is against David Moyes’ White-Hot Everton, and anything could happen there.
Anfield is not a happy hunting ground for Spurs
When Spurs won 2-1 at Anfield on the 25th August 1993, it was the first time they’d done so since the 16th March 1912; a month and a day before the Titanic sank. They’ve beaten them three times there since; somewhat dramatically with a late winning goal from Jürgen Klinsmann in an FA Cup quarter-final in 1995, a 3-1 win in the League Cup Fourth Round in 1998, and in the Premier League in 2011. The last player to score a goal for a winning Spurs team at Anfield was Luka Modrić. It’s not a great record.
Key players
Mo Salah feels like an obvious choice for Liverpool, but they need goals and he remains an extremely ready source of them. The issue of his new contract remains one of the biggest question marks hanging over the second half of an otherwise outstanding season for Liverpool. Throughout his career, he’s only scored more against one opposition side – Manchester United – than he has in games against Spurs. Tottenham may need a big performance from their defence. Ben Davies and Archie Gray seem set to have a busy night.
Team News
It was not ideal news for Ange Postecoglou to find that Mickey van de Ven had lasted precisely one half against Elfsborg before twanging something again and is going to be absent for this match, despite having already been rested for the Brentford match, and that Radu Drăgușin is now out for the rest of the season. Liverpool are now back to pretty much full strength, with Joe Gomez now their only absentee.
Prediction
It might be considered typical Spurs fatalism to suggest that the odds are stacked against them, but good omens really are thin on the ground when it comes to away games against Liverpool, whether we’re talking about going 81 years without winning at THIS VERY STADIUM, or anything relating to what’s happened at either club this season. Spurs are 14th in the Premier League and it’s difficult to argue that they don’t warrant that position. They won the first leg 1-0, but that’s an exception rather than the rule for this fixture, both historically and contemporaneously. 4-1 to Liverpool doesn’t sound unrealistic.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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