Prediction: Tottenham vs Liverpool

Revived Tottenham Hotspur will be out to spoilt the party for new Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, who is under pressure to help the Reds show improvement on the slow start to the season. Meanwhile, Spurs aim to further close the gap behind top 4 positions with what would be their fourth win in five Premier League fixtures.

Despite the fact that the heavy spending over the past few years had failed to pay off, Tottenham continued to splash the cash, although they did not exactly sign any world-class players in the summer. But, another recruitment spree failed to make the difference in the early exchanges, with Spurs needing five games to record the first Premier League triumph of the season. The reality is that star playmaker Christian Eriksen was sorely missed in some of those fixtures, and nobody was surprised to see the results improve once the Denmark hotshot returned into action. Not even the League Cup loss to bitter rivals Arsenal managed to destabilise the team following back to back Premier League wins over Sunderland and Crystal Palace, while the impressive 4-1 triumph over Manchester City that followed hinted Mauricio Pochettino’s side may have finally hit the ground running. Spurs have since shared spoils with Monaco in Europa League and completely outclassed Swansea in a 2-2 draw at Liberty Stadium, so they definitely head into the Liverpool clash in excellent spirits. The hosts could have Ryan Mason back to the side after recovering from injury, while Heung-Min Son should continue up front despite not being fully fit.

It was Brendan Rodgers who paid the price for the slow start of the new season at Anfield, but the club management did brilliantly to secure the services of probably the world’s top coach that was available. Following the impressive spell with Borussia Dortmund, Jurgen Klopp decided to end his sabbatical and take over the reigns at Liverpool, and there are no doubts the Reds faithful have been delighted with club’s choice for Brendan Rodgers’ successor. It will not be easy for the German coach to turn things around and he will probably need a while to make this squad his own, but the reality is he has a very good crop of players at his disposal. Injuries to star players Christian Benteke, Jordan Henderson and Roberto Firmino are making his life difficult at the moment, with full-back Joe Gomez ruled out for the season after hurting his cruciate knee ligament. Liverpool haven’t done too badly of late, but the team clearly lack the confidence and it remains to be seen whether Jurgen Klopp can provide an instant lift. Daniel Sturridge looks set to continue up front as Christian Benteke remains sidelined, whereas Roberto Firmino is a major doubt.

Conclusion

Tottenham have seriously raised their form of late, but they could lose some momentum following the two-week international break. Meanwhile, Liverpool will be buoyed by the arrival of Jurgen Klopp, which should help the Reds match in-form Spurs at White Hart Lane.

Verdict: Draw

Best Odds: 5/2

Bookmaker: bet365