Tottenham vs Liverpool: Premier League – Teams, Start Time, Lineups | football news

Who: tottenham hotspur vs liverpool
What: English Premier League
Where: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, United Kingdom
When: Saturday 20 December, 5:30 pm (17:30 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 17:00 GMT, before our text commentary stream. Click here to follow our live coverage.

Defending champions Liverpool will look to make it back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since September when they visit Tottenham on Saturday, but the Reds’ troubles are far from a distant memory.

Pressure was mounting on manager Arne Slot, who had won the title the previous year in his first season in charge, after nine defeats in 12 starts.

The public rift between the Anfield club and their star forward Mohamed Salah has affected the slot situation – but it has not gone away. Spurs similarly suffered six defeats in 10 games during October and November and have hardly improved since then.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a game that has both managers concerned for their immediate futures.

What’s the latest on Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool future?

Salah has now departed for Egypt duty at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, but that does not change his status at Anfield.

Ever since the 33-year-old claimed he was “thrown under the bus” by the Reds for their poor season – after being dropped to the bench for three consecutive games – rumours have swirled that his time on Merseyside was coming to an end.

The Saudi Pro League have made no secret of their desire to make a move for Salah, who was left out of Liverpool’s squad for the Champions League match at Milan after his outburst.

The forward returned to the bench for the visit of Brighton in the Premier League last week, but his time at the AFCON is likely to be overshadowed by speculation that a switch to Saudi Arabia will be made in the January transfer window.

What transpired in Tottenham’s most recent game?

Tottenham were beaten 3-0 at Nottingham Forest last Sunday, in a game that fuelled rumours of Thomas Frank’s demise as Spurs manager.

Callum Hudson-Odoi scored the first two goals for the home side before Ibrahim Sangare ended any hopes of a Spurs comeback in the 79th minute.

What happened in Liverpool’s last game?

Liverpool brush aside the Salah saga and speculation over Slott’s future and win 2-0 against Brighton at Anfield last Saturday.

Hugo Ekitike scored both goals in the first minute of the match, while Salah was an early substitute in the first half and assisted the second goal from a corner kick.

It remains to be seen whether that was Salah’s last game as a Red.

How has Tottenham performed in the Premier League this season?

In Frank’s first time in charge, Tottenham began their Premier League campaign with only one defeat in their opening seven matches. The north Londoners have since lost five of their last nine in the league.

A run of six defeats out of 10 in all competitions follows two wins and a defeat to Forest in the last four in all competitions. However, that is only one win from seven in the league—a run that has seen Spurs slip to the bottom half of the table.

How has Liverpool fared in the Premier League this season?

With the exception of a preseason Community Shield defeat on penalties against Crystal Palace, Liverpool won their opening seven games of the season in all competitions.

This was followed by four consecutive losses, after which a streak of nine defeats out of 12 began. In Premier League terms, the Reds have won just three out of 11 games – losing six.

After winning their first five league games of the season, the Anfield club has been able to hold on to a top-half position in the league, and they start the latest round of matches in seventh place—10 points clear of leaders Arsenal, who travel to Everton on Saturday evening.

How much pressure is there on Tottenham manager Thomas Frank?

Tottenham won the UEFA Europa League last season, but it was not enough to prevent Ange Postecoglou’s departure at the end of the campaign. Frank has come under immense pressure as a result of recent matches.

The biggest rumour is that Xavi, a former Spain and Barcelona midfielder, is being groomed to replace Frank.

Spurs are renowned for being a dismissive club, with Frank being the fifth permanent manager since Mauricio Pochettino was sacked in 2019.

Should Frank be shown the door, it would not be the shortest tenure of a Spurs manager in recent times —Numbo Espirito Santo lasted just four months and two days during his 2021 tenure.

What happened the last time Tottenham played Liverpool?

When the two teams last met at Anfield in the Premier League in April, Liverpool defeated Tottenham 5-1.

Dominic Solanke gave the Spurs the lead in the 12th minute, before Luis Diaz, Alexis McAllister, and Cody Gakpo replied for the Reds at the break.

Own goals from Mohamed Salah and Destiny Udogi completed the defeat in the second round.

What happened in the same match between Tottenham and Liverpool last year?

It was a Premier League double for Liverpool last season, as they won the first meeting of the last campaign with a nine-goal thriller at Tottenham on 22 December.

Diaz and Salah both hit braces in the Reds’ 6–3 win in a game where the opposition led 3–1 at the break and 5–1 by the 61st minute.

When did Tottenham last beat Liverpool?

Tottenham actually managed to defeat Liverpool in the first leg of the League Cup semi-finals last season. However, a 1–0 home win was not enough for Spurs, as the Reds won 4–0 in the return match at Anfield last time out.

Lucas Bergvall scored the only goal in London, while the aggregate score was level at the break in the second leg after Gakpo’s first-half attack. Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Virgil van Dijk settled matters in the second period.

When did Tottenham last beat Liverpool in the Premier League?

Tottenham’s last league win against Liverpool came in September 2023, a 2–1 home win.

Curtis Jones scored in the 26th minute, with Son Heung-min finding the net for Spurs after the first 10 minutes.

Gakpo equalised for the Reds shortly after half-time, but the second half went from bad to worse as Diogo Jota was ordered forward in the 69th minute before Joel Matip netted his own in the final minute of the game.

head-to-head

This is the 186th meeting between the two sides, with Liverpool winning 90 times and Tottenham emerging victorious on 50 occasions.

The first match was in November 1909 in the old Division One (now the Premier League), with Spurs winning 1–0 in London. Liverpool won the return match that season 2–0 in March 1910.

tottenham team news

James Maddison, Destiny Udogi, Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski are all injured, while Kota Takai and Radu Dragusin are still considered to lack match fitness as they return from knocks.

Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are both at the Africa Cup of Nations, meaning the Franks will be without eight players for the trip to Liverpool.

liverpool team news

Salah has been Liverpool’s number one absentee, although the Egyptian has started the last four league games on the bench.

Cody Gakpo, Giovanni Leoni and Wataru Endo are all injured, while Connor Bradley is suspended.

Dominik Szoboszlai and Joe Gomez both played innings in the Brighton game and are doubts, but Jeremy Frimpong is close to returning after a hamstring injury.

predicted tottenham starting lineup

Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Simmons, Kolo Muani; richardson

predicted liverpool starting lineup

Alison; Bradley, Konate, Van Dijk, Kerkez; Mac Allister, Gravenberch; Chiesa, Jones, Wirtz; akitike