Premier League Preview: Tottenham vs. Liverpool Predictions, Odds, & Notes

Premier League Preview: Tottenham vs. Liverpool Predictions, Odds, & Notes

This article is part of our Soccer Picks series.

Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool clash Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their 184th encounter. 

Tottenham will hope to ride the momentum of their 5-0 drubbing of Southampton in their most recent Premier League fixture, as well as Thursday's 4-3 EFL Cup win over Manchester United. Liverpool are aiming to earn their first Premier League win since their 2-0 success over Manchester City on Dec. 1. The Reds also beat Southampton 2-1 on Wednesday in Cup play.

Tottenham sit 10th in the Premier League table on 23 points, while Liverpool top the Premier League table, two points ahead of Chelsea with a game in hand. 

Premier League Predicted & Confirmed Lineups

Premier League Schedule and Fixture Difficulty Ranker

Premier League Player News & Updates

Premier League Injuries & Suspensions

HEAD TO HEAD

Tottenham and Liverpool have met on 183 occasions, dating back to 1909 when Spurs defeated Liverpool 1-0 in a League Division One match. Over their last 10 meetings in all competitions, the Reds have dominated Tottenham, winning seven times, drawing twice and losing just once. 

Liverpool lead the all-time series, winning 90 times and drawing on 44 occasions. Most recently, the clubs split their two matchups during the 2023/2024 season with Liverpool outscoring Tottenham 5-4 on aggregate over the two fixtures.

ODDS

Moneyline

DraftKings: TOT +330 Draw +330, LIV -140 (PROMO CODE)

FanDuel: TOT +300 Draw +340, LIV -135 (PROMO CODE)

BetMGM: TOT +310 Draw +320, LIV -135 (BONUS CODE)

Bet365: TOT +230 Draw +300, LIV -138 (BONUS CODE)

LINEUP NOTES & INJURY NEWS

Tottenham

Tottenham continue to weather an injury and suspension storm that has saddled manager Ange Postecoglou with absences across their ranks.

Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario remains months away after undergoing surgery to repair a fractured ankle. Central defender Micky van de Ven will be out until the New Year, as he recovers from a hamstring injury, and the same goes for Cristian Romero, who has a quad injury. Midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur has served five games of a seven-match ban. Attacker Richarlison has missed nine successive fixtures across all competitions after suffering a hamstring injury and remains weeks away from returning. 

In Vicario's absence, veteran Fraser Forster has made four starts between the sticks in Premier League play, making 20 saves while conceding six goals and recording one clean sheet. In weathering attrition across his defensive ranks, Ange Postecoglu has paired Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray in central defense, as there isn't anyone else with Ben Davies also battling a hamstring injury. After suffering a minor injury in Spurs' most recent victory versus Southampton, Destiny Udogie is expected to be fit enough to settle in to his regular left-back role.

The right-sided duo of Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson has combined for eight goals and three assists in the Premier League. The right-back has averaged 5.63 crosses per appearance. However, Johnson didn't start Thursday and Djed Spence started over Porro in the last league match, both something to keep an eye on when starting XIs release.

With holding midfielder Bentancur out due to suspension, Yves Bissouma and Pape Sarr have proven capable of playing holding-midfield roles. Postecoglu is rich with options in the attacking midfielder position as in-form Dejan Kulusevski and James Maddison have each scored in their most recent Premier League victory.

Liverpool

Liverpool arrive in London at nearly full strength as they aim to consolidate their lead atop the Premier League table. 

Ibrahima Konate (foot) has missed five successive fixtures across all competitions and isn't expected back. In his absence, long-serving Liverpool defender Joe Gomez has been paired with Virgil van Dijk in central defense.

First-choice goalkeeper Alisson has returned to the lineup after a six-week absence due to a hamstring injury that caused him to miss 10 matches across all competitions. 

Manager Arne Slot has shuffled the midfield trio he has deployed over Liverpool's most recent three league fixtures. Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai each have solidified their place in Slot's starting XI, while the Dutch manager has opted for either Curtis Jones or Alexis Mac Allister as the third member of the midfield, though a lot of that was due to Mac Allister's league and UCL suspensions.

Trent Alexander-Arnold allows Liverpool to implement what has become a norm in modern football, by adding his skillset to the midfield while in attack and shifting to a back three in defense. By increasing the number of attackers and midfielders the opponent has to deal with, Slot has mitigated the ability of opponents to mark Mohamed Salah with multiple players, giving his aging superstar space to facilitate the Liverpool attack. 

FORMATIONS

Postecoglou has proven to be a manager of conviction during his time in charge at Tottenham. Expect to see Spurs set up in a 4-3-3 formation while clutching dearly to two Postecoglu principles: hold a high line while in possession and, when dispossessed, win the ball back as quickly as possible through an aggressively orchestrated press.

Liverpool continue to deploy a 4-2-3-1 under Slot with the mix of the midfield trio being determined by how the Dutchman envisions the Reds playing through the middle of the park. Depending on who the manager selects at the No. 9 role in Darwin Nunez or Luis Diaz (or even Diogo Jota if ready), that could decide how the Reds play, either with a target forward or game plan geared towards a false nine with the ability to run into space behind the defense. 

RECENT FORM

Tottenham Hotspur (WWDLL) have scored nine goals over their most recent two fixtures, scoring five first half goals in a Premier League victory over Southampton before winning a frenetic 4-3 EFL Cup quarterfinal versus Manchester United. 

Liverpool (WDWDW) enter the fixture in in top form, having gone unbeaten in an incredible 21 successive fixtures (17 wins, four draws) across all competitions.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Dominic Solanke: Spurs hope their downhill style of play will lead to goals from their star striker. Solanke has managed just one goal over his last six Premier League appearances (six starts). However, he scored twice in Tottenham's midweek 4-3 triumph over Manchester United in the League Cup.

Cody Gakpo: When forced to battle with Fulham with just 10 men, Slot noticeably adjusted his attack to be filtered exclusively through his wingers while vacating the space in front of the opponent's central defense. Gakpo has thrived as Slot has continually tweaked his attack for each fixture. Over his last five appearances (three starts), Gakpo has scored three goals across all competitions. 

BETTING PICKS & PREDICTION

Premier League Odds Comparisons

Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah

Salah has begun the season on an incredible run of form and  has shown no signs of slowing down. With Tottenham's biggest questions looming over their ability to defend, expect the Premier League's leading goalscorer to seize control of yet another marquee matchup and create the highlight moments that produce another Liverpool victory. 

Result: Tottenham 1-3 Liverpool

UPCOMING EPL FIXTURES

Tottenham: Dec. 26 at Nottingham Forest

Liverpool: Dec. 26 vs. Leicester City 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Luke Atzert
Luke is an accomplished freelance writer by night and contract specialist by day who contributes to Rotowire's soccer coverage. He is a South Jersey native and West Virginia University graduate currently residing in Washington. Luke is a high school baseball coach and passionate Philadelphia sports fan who enjoys travel, hiking, and spending time with his wife and their three dogs.
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