Tottenham vs. Liverpool: Preview, Team News, and Ways to Watch

Tottenham vs Liverpool

| Thursday, January 28th |
Premier League | Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
8PM BST /3PM EST

Remember winning? Football was more fun when Liverpool did the winning. It’s been four games since the Reds’ last walked off the pitch victorious, and eight games since it happened in a match anybody cared about. It’d be real swell to find experience that again.

Standing in their way tomorrow is a grumpy, cantankerous old foe, as Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham host the Merseysiders. The Reds won the reverse fixture under dramatic circumstances back in December, an injury time Roberto Firmino header the difference on the day.

Since then, the Lily Whites have closed the gap, and are now only a single point behind tomorrow’s opponents, with a game in hand. Their once highly-touted title hopes are largely gone, but this season’s top four race looks set to be a tight one, and Thursday’s matchup could prove of outsized importance in that endeavour.

With the exception of the potential absence of Ben Davies, Giovani Lo Celso and Matt Doherty, Mourinho will be able to field his strongest XI, including top scorers Heung-MIn Son and Harry Kane.

Projected Liverpool Lineup (4-3-3)

Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Fabinho, Robertson; Henderson, Thiago, Wijnaldum; Mané, Firmino, Salah

Joël Matip is back in full training and should be reinstated in the centre of defence next to Fabinho, freeing up Jordan Henderson — who has also returned to training — to feature in midfield once more. Alongside the captain will almost certainly be one of Georginio Wijnaldum, Curtis Jones or Thiago, as Naby Keïta continues to struggle for fitness.

Up top, Mohamed Salah notched a brace in the FA Cup loss to Manchester United, while Roberto Firmino assisted both goals, raising fans’ hopes that the front line might have regained their Confidence™ and could be on their way to achieving Momentum™. Sadio Mané remains the Reds’ best player and will have another 90 minutes to exhaust Serge Aurier’s defensive resources.

What the Managers Said

Jürgen Klopp: “We will be ready for a fight tomorrow night, but where it will lead us to I don’t know.”

Jose Mourinho: “Play Liverpool is play Liverpool, independent of all the context, independent of everything.”

The Officials

Referee: Martin Atkinson
Assistant referees: Lee Betts, Constantine Hatzidakis
Fourth official: Kevin Friend
VAR: Jonathan Moss, Dan Robathan

Kickoff is set for 8PM GMT/3PM EST tomorrow, and television listings for the match can be found on LiveSoccerTV.

In the meantime, and as always, we’ll be keeping you updated with all the buildup to the game, including team news as it’s released, our live matchday thread, and post-match recaps from The Liverpool Offside staff. If you want to join the discussion, sign up for an SB Nation account to have your say on the action as it happens.