The marquee matchup of Gameweek 5 in the Premier League sees unblemished Liverpool travel to North London to face a Tottenham side that entered the international break with a loss to Watford. In what is an incredibly tough spot for Spurs to collect points of any number, they can hang their hats on the fact that home matches against the Reds have yielded positive results down the years.
Online book Sportsbook has value up and down the board here with Spurs at +200, Liverpool at +135 and the draw at +270. Spread markets see this as a pick with Spurs +125 and the Reds at -150. The total is set at 3.0 with OVER +115 and UNDER -140.
There are injury concerns with both sides here but the hosts look to be on the back foot already considering the talent that will be sidelined.
Let’s break down this matchup and find some great betting value as these two titans clash at Wembley to kick off the Premier League’s weekend.
- Tottenham won last year’s fixture 4-1 with Harry Kane scoring twice.
- Tottenham will be without both Dele Alli and captain Hugo Lloris.
- Liverpool is one of three teams left that have won all four of their games to start the season.
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Spurs Hoping for a Replay of Last Year
Liverpool has scored some impressive wins over Spurs in recent memory. There was the 5-0 thumping at White Hart Lane in December of 2013 that essentially cost Andre Villas-Boas his job. Oh, let’s not forget the 4-0 win at Anfield that same season or the 3-0 victory at White Hart Lane the following season.
You get the gist.
But Tottenham’s 4-1 win at Wembley last season was huge on many levels for the club. It was their first win over Liverpool in any competition since November of 2012. It was the first time they scored more than one goal against the Reds since February of 2015. And it was another feather in manager Mauricio Pochettino’s cap as he seems to be a manager that might have the Reds figured out. At least a little bit.
Poch led Southampton to a memorable 3-1 win over Liverpool in March of 2013 and then a 1-0 win in September of the following season. His record against Liverpool as Tottenham boss isn’t the best (one win, three losses, four draws), but at least he’s grinded out results.
In last season’s Tottenham win, Harry Kane scored twice while Son Heung-Min and Dele Alli added scores in the 4-1 triumph. Kane also scored a late penalty in the reverse fixture last season which resulted in a 2-2 draw. If Spurs are to get points in this, they’ll need a herculean effort from their star man.
Star Players Sidelined
Both teams have important players banged up, but Tottenham is really impacted here. Goalkeeper and captain Hugo Lloris will miss out for the second game while Dele Alli is absent as well. This means Michel Vorm will return to action after he started the 2-1 loss to Watford before the break.
Erik Lamela and Moussa Sissoko are doubts while, expectedly, Juan Foyth and Vincent Janssen will also miss out.
Liverpool is not without its concerns either. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana are all expected to miss out while Simon Mignolet, the backup keeper, is also doubtful.
The big miss here is clearly Alli. The England international has started the season very well with one goal and has been one of Tottenham’s best performers. The playmaker missed two games last season, but Spurs picked up four points (one win, one draw) in those games.
Perfect Start
Like Chelsea and Watford, Liverpool has started the season with four wins from its first four games. That said, this will be their first real test as they’ve won games vs West Ham (4-0), Crystal Palace (2-0), Brighton (1-0) and, most recently, Leicester (2-1).
The biggest difference for me is the defending. Virgil Van Dijk has been an immense addition to the side while bringing in keeper Alisson in the summer window was a major coup. If Liverpool’s defending can keep this up, paired with the incredible attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, the Reds are a surefire threat for the Premier League title.
As stated, however, this away game at Tottenham is a big game for both teams and the first real test for Liverpool. Which one can threaten to dethrone Manchester City? Is the potential loser of this game not worthy of Champions League? Can Spurs rebound from a poor performance against Watford? Plenty of questions will be answered come Saturday morning.
Ninja’s Pick
This is an incredibly tough game to handicap. Two of Tottenham’s biggest stars are out and the loss to Watford was bad for any title hopes the club may have had. Whatever you decide to do if you’re betting moneyline markets, you’re going to catch pretty good value. Me, I’ll play it incredibly safe and bet both teams to score at the very chalky price of -190 so I’ll make it a multi-unit play.
Any scoreline here would be realistic. Spurs could win. Liverpool could win. There could be a ton of goals or it could be low-scoring. Considering the firepower on display, I’ll take my shot with this chalky venture.
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