Premier League: Form is fleeting for scrambling Liverpool and Spurs

TOMORROW sees the epic ‘Battle of the Inconsistents!’ A catchphrase that is hardly gonna win any marketing awards or do Sky Sports ‘Super Sunday’ out of a job. But it is the case that two of this season’s best but most inscrutably unpredictable sides meet in London, without any clear indication from their form as to how the result will play out.

Spurs host Liverpool at their magnificent stadium, with both sides coming off good, but also rather fortuitous midweek Champions League results against Marseille and Napoli respectively.

Spurred on

Spurs will take the most from their European result as Pierre-Emile Hoejbjerg’s 95th-minute winner against the French side meant the difference between winning the group or becoming the only English side not to qualify for that next round. Talk about tight margins.

For Liverpool, their late victory was more about boosting morale as they had already qualified for the next round. But there was also a question of revenge as Napoli had humiliated them 4-1 in the reverse fixture back in Italy. Plus Liverpool’s win also denied Napoli joining the elite club (including Liverpool) of sides that have won every game in their Champions League group.

Despite Tuesday’s result and a generally positive European campaign so far, the Reds come into tomorrow's game off the back of a really poor 2-1 home Premier League defeat at the hands of Leeds United, preceded by the humiliation of an away defeat at the hands of bottom side, Nottingham Forest.

The scramble

Spurs are in a considerably better position in the table than ninth-place Liverpool, but their third-place position behind Man City and Arsenal hides the fact that they are living right on the edge of maintaining a top-four position.

Spurs have already lost three games, which to recent seasons' standards would probably mean their title ambitions would be as good as over before we have even reached Christmas. From their league points total of 26, they have scrambled 10 points from three wins and one draw from losing positions, which while showing a fighting spirit, especially in the draw against Chelsea, also indicates a rather frantic struggle to stay in touch. Especially in the scrambling come-from-behind wins against the likes of Southampton and Leicester, and Bournemouth, showing they are not a settled side yet. Then again, when was the last time we had a settled and consistently settled Spurs side?

Liverpool, this season have got nowhere near such satisfactory numbers, and after 12 games, have suffered four defeats, three draws, and claimed only one win from losing positions. This from a side that only lost one game across the entirety of last season’s Premier League.

While playing at home will be an obvious advantage for Spurs, they have been hit by several major injury concerns, the worst of all being the absence of probably their best player over the past few seasons in the shape of Son Heung-min. The Korean striker fractured his left eye socket in a nasty collision in Tuesday night's Champions League game.

Injury worries

Spurs have confirmed that Son will have to undergo surgery that may worryingly cost him his spot in his nation's World Cup campaign.

Having Harry Kane get you your goals is not a bad position to be in, but there is no denying that Son, in his current rich vein of form, will be missed nonetheless. And the English striker will probably need someone to play off upfront.

Here is Spurs attacking problem. Son isn't the only Spurs attack-minded absentee. Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison have struggled to get back from the treatment table.

Swedish winger Kulusevski is recovering from a thigh injury, with Spurs' boss Antonio Conte confirming he had suffered a setback in his rehabilitation last month. While Richarlison, who injured his calf against Everton, is also in a race to get back in time for Brazil's push for the Qatari World Cup.

The hit to the side's usual attacking formations may force Conte into changing his formations so as to push the likes of Lucas Mora or Ivan Perisic up front alongside Kane, but this might render their wing options impotent as a result.

Cristian Romero is another doubt for the Cockerels, having missed Tuesday’s win at Marseille with a thigh problem.

Of course, as has been the case all season, Liverpool's pressing style sees them not without their own injury woes. Captain, Jordan Henderson missed out on the Napoli win, while last season's talismanic players Luis Dias, and Diogo Jota are long-term injuries this season, along with midfielders Naby Kieta, and Arthur. Centre-back Joel Matip is due back but the Spurs game has likely to come too soon for him to be in contention. But thankfully, from Liverpool's point of view, Ibrahim Konate returned from his own injury for Napoli and looked well recovered alongside Virgil van Dijk against the Italian table-toppers.

Unpredictable

The mad speculation on who will make the starting line-up for both sides only adds to the curious confusion on wondering who has the advantage in this confrontation. Whichever side you think has the upper hand here, you probably should bet on the opposition.