By Gary Fulcher.
Liverpool will be looking to record their first league win of 2017 when they host Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday evening; 5.30pm kick off UK time. The Reds’ form and results have been disappointing since the turn of the year, exiting both domestic cups and finding themselves in 5th place, four points behind their opponents who sit in 2nd place and just one point above Man Utd in 6th.
Since the 1-0 win over Manchester City on New Year’s Eve, Liverpool have drawn three and lost two of the five league games played since, picking up three points from a possible 15. Critics have since let rip and while some of the commentary may be justified, many people have seemingly forgotten just how devastatingly good Liverpool were earlier in the season.
The two sides have drawn their last three league meetings home and away and played out a 1-1 draw back in August at White Hart Lane. Last season’s corresponding fixture also ended in a 1-1 draw and Tottenham have won two of the last 24 at Anfield and just six from the previous 73 in the league.
Spurs suffered their own poor run of form back in October and November and like Liverpool’s current downturn in form, it followed a victory over Manchester City. Following the 2-0 win over Pep Guardiola’s side on October 3, Mauricio Pochettino’s team won one of the following ten games in all competitions, losing four and drawing five, crashing out of both the EFL Cup (to Liverpool) and the Champions League (dropping down into the Europa League). In the Premier League Spurs picked up seven points from a possible 18 during that spell, recording one win, one defeat and four draws.
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