LIVERPOOL host Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield tomorrow, with both sides desperate for three points.
The Reds could still qualify for next season’s Champions League while Spurs are hoping to avoid getting sucked into a dreadful relegation battle.
Arne Slot’s side, sixth in the Premier League table, will want to win to bounce back after losing 1-0 to Galatasaray in the first leg of the European competition’s last 16.
Spurs, meanwhile, are 16th in the league and just one point ahead of Nottingham Forest and West Ham United in 17th and 18th respectively.
With Tottenham currently in a state of chaos, it will be sheer disappointment if Liverpool do not come out on top.
But as recent results have shown, anything can happen with Liverpool’s inconsistent form, and probably will.
Liverpool lost 2-1 to Wolves in a league match earlier this month, then defeated them in an FA Cup fifth-round tie, and then lost to the Turkish champions in midweek.
It just feels like 2021 all over again with the Jekyll and Hyde performances.
Unlike former manager Juergen Klopp’s “heavy metal” approach, many supporters have turned on Slot due to his “boring” and predictable tactics.
Alisson Becker, who missed the Champions League clash with Galatasaray in midweek, is in a race to be fit. Federico Chiesa could also be available again.
Long-term absentees, including Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo and Alexander Isak, will definitely miss the game.
Giorgi Mamardashvili, who played in midweek, will retain his spot if Alisson is unavailable.
With Jeremie Frimpong available, he should start at right-back along with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Milos Kerkez in the back line.
In midfield, it should be Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, while the forward line should comprise Mohamed Salah, Hugo Ekitike and Florian Wirtz.
Unlike Liverpool, Spurs are really in big trouble, having not won a single match since Igor Tudor was hired as the interim head coach in February.
That followed the sacking of Thomas Frank.
After the 5-2 defeat to Atletico Madrid in a Champions League match in midweek, Tudor is facing more scrutiny and pressure.
His tenure at Tottenham may no longer be sustainable if they continue to lose or drop points.
Compounding their struggles, Tudor will be without a host of key players: Micky van de Ven is out due to suspension, while Destiny Udogie and Ben Davies are unavailable due to injuries.
Others who are also injured include Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Wilson Odobert, Lucas Bergvall, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.
Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha, who clashed heads during the defeat to Atletico, may still be available if club doctors clear them of any concussion concerns.
If Romero is not deemed fit, the defensive line should consist of Kevin Danso, Radu Dragusin, Djed Spence and Pedro Porro with Guglielmo Vicario between the posts.
In midfield, it should be Pape Matar Sarr, Archie Gray and Xavi Simons while the forwards should be Mathys Tel, Randal Kolo Muani and Dominic Solanke.
Slot surely needs to take advantage of Spurs’ current crisis and vulnerability to lift their own mood at Liverpool.
On a brighter note, the Merseyside club are unbeaten in their last 15 home games against Spurs, with 11 wins.
And their recent clash saw the Reds win 2-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in December, so there is still a small sense of ease to suggest that a win is possible.
Tottenham have conceded 46 goals so far this season, the third-highest in the bottom half of the table, and 21 of those were in away matches.
They are currently on an 11-match winless run in the league, their longest since 1975, while their six-game losing streak in all matches is the first in the club’s 143-year history.
With the backing of Anfield, everything just screams a win for Liverpool.
If they fail to do so, maybe they do not deserve a place in Europe next season.
