It could be a pivotal weekend at the top of the Premier League as we close in on the final day of the campaign. Tottenham's showdown against Liverpool at Anfield is the standout fixture of matchday 36 and it may have huge ramifications in the race for the top four and the title.
As things stand heading into the game on Merseyside, Spurs trail Arsenal in fourth by two points having both played 34 games, with Liverpool one point behind league leaders Manchester City. Both Spurs and Liverpool need maximum points from the Saturday evening game or else achieving their dreams come the final day may be left in tatters.
Jurgen Klopp's side are the red-hot favourites to triumph at Anfield against Spurs and not many are expecting the Lilywhites to pull off a major shock. However, they certainly cannot be written off having secured a stunning 3-2 win away at Man City in February.
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Going into the fixture at the Etihad Stadium on the back of successive home defeats against Southampton and Wolves, Spurs delivered a masterclass and triumphed courtesy of Harry Kane's winner deep into stoppage time. Withstanding intense pressure from the hosts at times, Spurs started brightly from the first whistle and looked to exploit any gaps City had left across the pitch.
Really struggling to break down sides who sit behind the ball and make life very difficult for them, Tottenham do seem to flourish when teams attack and duly give them space to exploit. Winning at the Etihad and then hitting Leeds United for four a week later, this weekend's trip to Liverpool could be the perfect game for Antonio Conte's men despite their opponents' stunning form.
"When you play against these important teams, it's important there is the great desire, no? For everybody to find a way to stop this top team. For this reason, against Manchester City it happened twice and we drew with Liverpool at home," said the Italian in his pre-match press conference.
"For sure, when you play with a team that likes to play face to face, for the characteristic of my players, my team, maybe it's better than when we find a team very, very deep with not so much space to exploit. I find this. Also in the game against Leicester we found a team face to face - you attack, we attack, you attack, we attack. It's better then when we find a team who defends very deep and doesn't [allow us to] find space."
Taking a point off Liverpool back in December following a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Spurs perhaps should have come away with all three given the chances they created against the Reds. Starting with a midfield trio of Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Winks and Dele Alli that day, the Lilywhites had to do without the likes of Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for the game, while Oliver Skipp was brought on from the bench.
Liverpool themselves had some key men missing such as Virgil van Dijk and Thiago, with youngster Tyler Morton handed a rare start in midfield. Both teams will be notably stronger this time around, with Spurs adding Rodrigo Bentancur and Dejan Kulusevski to the ranks and Liverpool bringing Luis Diaz in.
Set to be a number of key battles across the pitch with Spurs needing to nullify the threat of Diaz and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool will also want to keep a very close eye on Son Heung-min. The South Korean has been in incredible form recently and has netted eight in his last six league games, including a superb strike last time out against Leicester.
Operating from Tottenham's left flank, Son will come face-to-face with Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold. The England international has been sensational for the Reds this campaign with two goals and 18 assists in all competitions but his defensive play has let him down at times.
Caught napping at the back post for Gabriel Jesus' goal in the 2-2 draw against Man City at the start of April, Alexander-Arnold was again caught out in midweek as Francis Coquelin nodded home unchallenged as the Liverpool man watched the ball come across towards him. Liverpool have very few weaknesses in their team but they are quite vulnerable down their right flank due to Salah's advanced position in the final third and Alexander-Arnold's attacking instincts, with Villarreal looking to take full advantage there numerous times on Tuesday evening.
The 23-year-old was again targeted in the recent Merseyside derby with Everton's Anthony Gordon breezing past him with ease when the Toffees launched a number of counter attacks in the second half as they looked to deliver their opponents the ultimate suckerpunch. It's an area Son and Ryan Sessegnon could potentially have a lot of joy and one Conte will no doubt have outlined in his gameplan.
A goal or two for Son and he could ramp up the pressure on Salah as well in the race to win the Premier League Golden Boot, with the Egyptian three ahead of him at present. However. Spurs then have to be very careful at the opposite end of the pitch with Salah and Alexander-Arnold joining forces to give Liverpool an incredible attacking weapon down their right.
Demonstrating in February that they can cause a major shock against the Premier League's best following their win away at Man City, Spurs have to do likewise once again in order to keep their top-four ambitions on track. If indeed they can do that then this weekend could be pivotal in how the final Premier League table pans out come the final day.
