Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool: preview, predicted lineup, and how to watch

To start, here is my carefully researched tactical preview of Liverpool for the remainder of the 2019-20 season, along with my thoughts on Tottenham’s tactical approach in order to secure a result against the Reds at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday.

Predicted Lineup

Tottenham Hotspur vs. Wolverhampton
Location: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Date: Sunday, March 1, 2020
Time: 9 am ET, 2 pm UK
TV: not televised (USA/UK)
Stream: NBC Sports Gold ($)

OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD OH GOD

How will Tottenham line up against Liverpool?

Spurs are a walking M*A*S*H unit at the moment. Harry Kane and Moussa Sissoko are both out until at least April after undergoing surgeries, Tanguy Ndombele is still struggling with a groin issue that has plagued him all season, Ben Davies and Danny Rose are still out with their own injuries, and keeper Hugo Lloris is hoping to make a return by the end of January.

Where does that leave Spurs? Short-handed. It’s up to Jose Mourinho now, and to a lesser extent us, to try and figure out how to put a functional team together against the presumptive Premier League champions who have yet to lose a league match this season.

There are a number of different options and strategies that Mourinho could employ, but I expect that, considering Spurs’ run of form, available players, and Liverpool’s incredible attack, we’ll see Big Game Jose — defensive, low-block football with counterattacks when possible and appropriate.

For me that means Jan Vertonghen back at left back, even after Ryan Sessegnon has been cromulent in that role the past couple of matches. I can’t, however, see Mourinho feel good about letting Sess get torn apart by Mo Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Jan may have lost a step, but he’ll be mostly playing deep alongside Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez as a quasi-third CB. However, Sess could start the match as a defensive winger, especially if Serge Aurier and Lucas Moura (or Gio Lo Celso) start on the right. It would make sense, though another option would be to swap Gio to the left midfield position, or insert someone like Erik Lamela there instead.

Many will predict that Harry Winks will start in central midfield alongside Eric Dier. I do not. We have seen Christian Eriksen perform pretty well in a deeper position, and even uninterested and want-away he’s a better talent than Winksy. Dele will start in front of him, with Son Heung-Min at the tip of the spear.

Do I like this lineup, or more broadly, Spurs’ chances in this match? Nope. But I do think that, if Spurs get lucky and Venus is in Saggitarius, this lineup would provide Spurs with the best chance to get some kind of a result against Liverpool.

That’s my predicted lineup for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Liverpool. What’s yours?