Kick-off: 12.45 PM, Sunday 31 August, White Hart Lane
In what has been a faultless start to the season so far for Tottenham Hotspur, who are delicately placed at the top of the Barclay's Premier table after two matchdays, Sunday's clash against Liverpool is set to be the Lilywhites' first test against potential top 4 competition in the form of Liverpool. Spurs are one of just 4 sides to boast a 100% record at this stage, and one of only two that have managed clean sheets in both clashes so far. Liverpool, meanwhile, sit in 9th place with a win and a defeat to their name so far.
Last season, both sides were tipped to be top 4 contenders, and while Liverpool over achieved and ended in 2nd place, André Villas-Boas was sacked by Tottenham on December 16th, and new boss Tim Sherwood could only guide the side to 6th position by the end, which ultimately ended his spell at the club.
Tottenham's failure to finish in the top 4 was put down to their inability to replace €100 million man Gareth Bale with world-class players, instead opting for several mediocre alternatives. And while they finished just 3 points worse off than the previous season, Daniel Levy & co. clearly felt change was needed, and appointed Mauricio Pocchetino as Sherwood's successor.
After securing a late win against West Ham courtesy of a debut goal from England youth Eric Dier, Spurs romped to a 4-0 win over league new boys and London neighbours QPR. Nacer Chadli, Emmanuel Adebayor and Erik Lamela looked particularly sharp, as AVB's "mediocre" buys began to gel as a unit at last.
As for the Reds, an encouraging start the season after a 2-1 win against Southampton was dented at the hands of last season's champions Manchester City, who stormed to a 3-1 win at the the Etihad Stadium. They'll be looking to get back on track against a side they became accustomed to smashing last season. 4-0 and 5-0 victories at Anfield and White Hart Lane respectively, (the latter costing Villas-Boas his job) the Reds can expect a much tougher assignment this time around, playing against Pocchetino's system.
Luis Suarez celebrate's his goal against Spurs last season
Said Mauricio Pocchetino of last year's results:
"The past is the past, I don't want to remember the past. It is a new season, I think a different style, different philosophy. Liverpool invested a lot of money this summer and we went another way. We believe in our squad and add some players for the balance. Two different ways [of approaching things]."
Predicted XI's:
Spurs (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Dier, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Capoue, Bentaleb; Chadli, Eriksen, Lamela; Adebayor.
Liverpool (4-3-3): Mignolet; Manquillo, Lovren, Skrtel, Moreno; Gerrard, Allen, Henderson; Sterling, Balotelli, Sturridge.
Kyle Walker misses out for Spurs with a pelvis injury, while Roberto Soldado is also a doubt (back). New signing Federico Fazio could be in line to make his debut after completing a move from Sevilla.
As for Liverpool, Agger, Assaidi, Flanagan (all knee), Borini (shoulder) are certanties to miss the clash on Sunday. There are a few doubts for the game, namely Moreno (ankle), Skrtel (ankle), Johnson (thigh), Enrique (knee) which would leave Liverpool looking relatively weak at the back should they miss out. The big inclusion would be Mario Balotelli, and if the Italian striker can produce top form from the off, Liverpool should do enough to win this win.
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Liverpool.