Football Betting Tips: Fresher Liverpool to extend Spurs’ poor away run
WHILE it’s been less than two weeks, for many it seems an eternity since we’ve had any Premier League action.
Yes, England got their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign off to the best possible start, but the league is what most are concerned with and it’s back with a bang this weekend.
The standout fixture is certainly Tottenham’s visit to Anfield to take on the league leaders Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
Whatever way you look at it, this is a massive game for Jurgen Klopp.
Though his side sit on top of the league table at the time of writing, it’s highly likely that Manchester City will reclaim top spot come Sunday with the Citizens travelling to Fulham on Saturday lunchtime.
Even the most optimistic Liverpool fan would struggle to see the Cottagers getting anything, meaning Liverpool simply have to win this.
The Reds’ win over Fulham before the international break capped off a fantastic week for Klopp.
It followed a hard-fought victory against Burnley, as well as a superb performance in the Champions League away to Bayern Munich.
There were points during the game against Fulham when there was so little going on, it almost mirrored a practice game and the German will have been unhappy that his side failed to put away the lowly Cottagers more easily than they did.
It seemed to take former Red Ryan Babel’s goal, via an uncharacteristic Virgil van Dijk mistake, for them to wake up. But a James Milner spot-kick got the job done and retuned them to the Premier League summit.
There’s no doubt, this isn’t the swashbuckling Liverpool from last year, but they are very much still in the title picture and Klopp will surely take heart from the fact they are where they are despite not playing at their best for a while.
They take on a Tottenham side who have seen their title challenge collapse after a dreadful run of league results.
Losses in late February to Burnley and Chelsea were followed by a lucky draw with Arsenal, before an insipid away defeat to Southampton on their most recent outing.
The Lilywhites now just sit three points clear of Manchester United in fifth and boss Mauricio Pochettino must make sure his side secure a top four finish to prevent this highly-promising campaign becoming a nightmare.
Spurs’ recent record at Anfield isn’t something to write home about either.
They are winless in seven matches since a 2-0 win in May 2011 and appear to be suffering a hangover from a congested December and January.
Pochettino will be hoping the new White Hart Lane will get his side back in the groove, but it’s their recent away form which is more of a worry.
Three losses in their last four on their travels is seriously dodgy form, especially against a Liverpool side who have made Anfield a fortress this term.
They are unbeaten on their home turf, conceding just nine goals, and that is a major factor in their position in the league.
Spurs have had 16 players on international duty, while the likes of Mohamed Salah and Milner haven’t travelled for Liverpool, meaning they’ll be fresh for this one and that could be the difference.
Goals look assured with only one 0-0 since 2005, so I’ll be backing Klopp’s men to win an entertaining affair.
POINTERS SUNDAY
Liverpool to win & BTTS 5/2