Two teams that will be clamoring for the top four this
season meet at White Hart Lane this weekend. The soccer odds see a close
encounter between Tottenham and Liverpool but the match has huge significance
for both teams.
The opening two matches of the Premier League schedule for Spurs were an
absolute disaster. They opened the season with a 3-0 loss to a high-flying
Manchester United side and then were humiliated 5-1 at home by Manchester City.
Thankfully for Spurs fans, the club was able to finally get
in the winning column with a 2-0 victory over Wolves last weekend. Emmanuel
Adebayor scored on his debut and Jermain Defoe also got on the scoresheet.
During the week Tottenham drew PAOK Salonika 0-0 in a Europa
League group tie with Harry Redknapp opting to field an inexperienced starting
XI.
The reason? It allowed his big names to get some extra
rest ahead of this critical clash with the Reds.
Liverpool began the season off well, going undefeated
through their first four games across all competitions. But one week ago, the
Reds left a rowdy Britannia Stadium with nothing as they lost 1-0 to Stoke
City.
Nevertheless the biggest sportsbooks are still giving the
boys from Merseyside a great chance to win at White Hart Lane on Sunday.
In the soccer odds we see that the Reds range from +178
(Pinnacle) to +170 (Bodog) while the Spurs are listed at +176 and +165 at the
same respective books.
Who performs best without their captain?
Many Liverpool faithful would have loved to see skipper
Steven Gerrard return for this pivotal fixture. The influential midfielder has
not featured at all this season while recovering from a groin operation over
the summer.
Results have been so-so for the Reds without their main man.
The play of Luis Suarez has been a key reason why Dalglish's army have picked
up some good results, while newcomer Charlie Adam has done a commendable job in
the middle as well.
Suarez took the Premier League by storm last season
following his move during the January transfer window and has kept his foot on
the pedal so far in the new campaign.
As for Tottenham, Redknapp will be delighted to have kept
hold of Luka Modric despite heavy interest from Chelsea during the transfer
frenzy.
The Spurs were able to sign England international Scott
Parker while also bringing in Adebayor on a season-long loan from Manchester
City. Meanwhile a number of faces left the club, including Peter Crouch, Wilson
Palacios and Alan Hutton. Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley were sent out on
loan.
Unfortunately for Redknapp, captain Michael Dawson is set to
miss up to two months of action due to a problem with his Achilles. These
frequent injuries to his backline were why the manager was so adamant about
signing Bolton defender Gary Cahill.
Still, Adebayor and Parker are two top-quality signings in
my book and I expect the pair to be important contributors throughout the
season.
With Modric and the always dangerous Gareth Bale also likely
to be on the pitch, Liverpool is going to have to come out firing on all
cylinders if they are to get a point out of this match.
The Reds must come out attacking a weakened Spurs defensive
front if they want the result, and I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it was
Suarez that ends up being the center of all of the moves once again.
All in all, I reckon we'll see a fair share of goals here on what is a Super Sunday (Manchester United play Chelsea) with a draw seeming like a genuinely plausible result.
Pick: Tottenham 2 Liverpool 2