With Micky Van de Ven missing through injury, Spurs will be doing everything they can to patch Cristian Romero up and get him on the pitch for this game after he came off with a head injury in midweek. The angry Argentine has shown plenty of frustration at Tottenham’s struggles and is never too far away from incidents of foul play, committing 1.36 infringements per 90 across all competitions. He was also sent off in the reverse fixture and so should be highly motivated to make amends. 

Romero’s direct opponent is likely to be Hugo Ekitite and he’ll also have to handle Cody Gakpo and Dominik Szoboszlai. The Liverpool attacking trio are fouled 2.97 times per 90 between them and given that the home side should dominate the ball, Romero will be kept very busy. The North London side have conceded four or more goals in each of their last four visits to Anfield and with Romero renowned for letting his emotions get the better of him, he could well be lashing out again if his side are given another thrashing. 

Tottenham are in crisis under Igor Tudor and with relegation now a real possibility, a trip to Anfield where they’ve lost on six of their last seven visits and conceded four or more goals in each of the last four meetings will be a concern. They look especially weak at the back without Micky van de Ven and may also be missing Cristian Romero to concussion and so could be vulnerable from set pieces. 

It therefore makes sense to get a Liverpool defender on side and Virgil van Dijk feels the most sensible option, especially given that he’s scored three times in his last seven league starts, hitting the target seven times across that period. The Dutchman will be on the end of every Liverpool set play and with Spurs lacking in personnel and devoid of confidence, he can pour on the misery.

Spurs had an absolute nightmare against Atletico Madrid in midweek, as mistakes from Antonin Kinsky and Micky Van de Ven saw the hosts race to a 3-0 lead in the first 15 minutes. Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann were both on hand to capitalise, and Alvarez made it a brace for himself as he scored the fifth goal for his side. 

To make matters worse, Joao Palhinha and Cristian Romero clashed heads in the final minutes, and were both removed from the field, despite Spurs having no remaining substitutions. They have emerged as doubtful to feature this weekend due to the concussion protocols. With Van de Ven suspended for this Premier League game, Spurs are once again without their first-choice centre back duo, so Radu Dragusin looks set to partner Kevin Danso. 

Hugo Ekitike should be licking his lips at the prospect of this matchup and he should capitalise.

With just one goal in his last six starts, Ekitike has been on a bit of a barren run recently, but this is the perfect opportunity to get back on track, especially considering he scored against Spurs in the reverse fixture in North London. Cristian Romero was sent off in that game for two bookable offences, while Micky Van de Ven also picked up a card. The centre backs struggled against Liverpool, and that should be the case here again. 

Since Igor Tudor took charge, the Spurs centre backs have seen an uptick in fouls, as the new manager wants them to be more aggressive in their duels. Danso racked up three infringements in his first game under Igor Tudor and was fortunate to escape a booking. However, he had less luck in midweek, and the Austrian international was booked against Atletico, finishing the game with two fouls.

Excluding their error-strewn start, it wasn’t a completely one-sided affair, and Spurs were able to find some chances at the Metropolitano. They matched Atletico’s shot tally of 11, and forced Jan Oblak into three saves. Pape Sarr didn’t manage a shot on target, but he did register two efforts, with one blocked, and the other off target. 

The Senegal international likes to get forward, and has landed this selection in two out of three starts under Igor Tudor. He has recorded exactly two shots in all of those matches, highlighting how he is given the freedom to break forward, which makes this price stand out. 

Sarr is averaging 1.02 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, and 46% of his efforts have hit the target, which is impressive accuracy. He even managed to land this selection in his last visit to Anfield, despite only featuring off the bench for the second half. 

Gallagher has committed 11 fouls across his seven starts in the Premier League since joining Tottenham (1.70 per 90), and is set for a tough afternoon here with Liverpool boasting quite a settled midfield at the moment.

Gallagher is often given the reckless tag, but a better way to look at it is that he gives himself so many chances of ending up with a high foul count due to the amount of ground he covers and his general busy nature. 

He’ll be up against Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister, who should be able to dominate the middle of the park for Liverpool, given Tottenham’s wider issues. Gravenberch is very adept at getting out of tight spaces and is averaging 1.19 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League this season.

Alexis Mac Allister has the tenacity to match Gallagher, and I can see the two having quite a few run-ins during this meeting. Mac Allister is averaging 1.12 fouls won per 90 in the Premier League this season, and can work alongside Gravenberch to draw at least two fouls from Gallagher in this clash.

I’d fancy my chances of rallying 11 lads together who could score a few against this Tottenham side right now. They are hopeless, and above all, most of them simply do not care. I think Liverpool could comfortably manage this line on their own.

Spurs shipped five in midweek against Atleti, four of them coming inside the first 25 minutes. 

Spurs have shipped two or more goals in their last nine straight Premier League matches, and in 17 of their 29 matches so far this season. That record is the 2nd-worst in the Premier League, only Burnley have conceded two or more, more times - ironically, the sides drew 2-2 in January.

Liverpool have also been very strong in terms of scoring goals in the recent head-to-heads; they won 2-1 in the reverse fixture, and in the two prior meetings they won 5-1 and 4-0.

Liverpool matches have averaged 3.00 goals, with 62% seeing over 2.5. Tottenham games have seen 2.93, with a massive 69% seeing three or more.

As bad as Spurs are, they can contribute - they’ve netted in nine of their last 10 league games.

This may look like a slightly rogue pick, but the stats justify it.

Starting with averages, Konate draws an average of 1.20 fouls per 90. He’s been fouled 32 times this season, which is the 2nd-highest in the Liverpool squad behind Cody Gakpo.

Konate is keen to step out with the ball when Liverpool are in possession, as he looks to commit an extra body to allow Liverpool a numerical advantage in the latter third of the pitch. This often leads to him being brought down.

Konate has been fouled in 13 of his last 15 games, and 13 times in his last eight.

This looks even better when you look at the fouls committed by players who appear in Spurs’ forward line.

Randal Kolo Muani commits a hefty 2.42 fouls per 90, the highest in the Tottenham squad. A total of 32 fouls, again, the highest in the squad. He can be clumsy, and is the first line of defence at stopping his countryman from stepping forward.

Richarlison and Mathys Tel both commit 1.06 fouls per 90, too, and Xavi Simons, should he play, commits 1.05.

This angle leans into the frustrations that Tottenham have had since Igor Tudor took charge of the club, with Spurs coming into this clash having lost each of their last five matches across all competitions - including a 5-2 loss against Atletico Madrid during the week, which saw Tottenham pick up five cards and commit 12 fouls.

Tottenham have picked up more yellow cards in the Premier League than any other side this season (74 -2.55 per game). Only three sides in the Premier League have committed more fouls than Tottenham (11.6 per game), so it’s hard to see how the North London side control their temper here, given their poor form and apparent discontent with Igor Tudor.

Tottenham picked up five yellow cards and two red cards when these sides met earlier in the season as Liverpool ran out 2-1 winners. Tottenham only committed nine fouls in that game, showing that even if their foul count is low here, they can still end up with at least two cards.

Tottenham come into this clash having lost five consecutive Premier League matches, putting them just one point above the relegation zone. It’s not an easy upcoming match for Igor Tudor to secure his first points as Spurs manager either, as his side travel to Anfield on Sunday afternoon. 

Liverpool have won each of the last four head-to-head meetings against Spurs at Anfield, with 17 goals scored in that time - they have scored at least four goals alone in all of those games. Tottenham’s defensive structure is as bad as it has ever been, and to make matters worse, they will have to contend without Micky Van De Ven, who is suspended, and Cristian Romero, who is out injured. 

Kevin Danso and Radu Dragusin look set to start as the centre back pairing, and those Liverpool attackers should be looking forward to this matchup. This line has landed in eight of the last nine head-to-heads, and in 11 of the last 13.

With 14 goals conceded in their four matches under Igor Tudor, Spurs have struggled to adapt to the demands of the new manager so far, and they are in serious danger of relegation. The new manager has been unfortunate in the sense that he has an extensive injury list to contend with, and a lot of the goals his side have conceded have been a result of individual errors. That said, it’s difficult to envisage Spurs keeping a clean sheet here, considering they have lost each of their last four trips to Anfield, and have conceded at least four goals in all of those matches.

However, they have at least got on the scoresheet in three of those games, and Liverpool haven’t been particularly watertight at the back recently. In fact, the Reds have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four matches across all competitions.

You would have got very good odds on Mo Salah having only scored five league goals by mid-March back in August for the reigning champions, and yet their are still only 11 Premier League players who have a higher combined goals and assists tally. Despite having seemingly past his peak, in all competitions Salah has still provided a goal or an assist in six of his last 10 starts.

The visitors to Anfield are Tottenham, who coincidentally, in a tie with Man United, are the team Salah has scored most goals against in his career. It’s fair to say that Spurs are at rock bottom, battered in midweek by Atletico Madrid, with the treatment of goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky also causing further problems they did not need right now. They have lost six games in a row and conceded 18 goals in the process, an average of three per game. Liverpool have been far from fluid this season, but they should surely be able to cash in here.