Tottenham v Liverpool: Premier League – live

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is the venue for today’s late-afternoon skirmish between two sides currently engaged in a spirited race to see who can look more profoundly confused by the concept of defending. Spurs come into this one fresh from a 3-0 shellacking at the hands of Nottingham Forest, a performance that could scarcely have been more listless and ramped up the pressure on Thomas Frank. They are, of course, missing half a squad to injury and Afcon, with long-term absentees James Maddison and Dominic Solanke still inhabiting the treatment room, while Yves Bissouma (Mali) and Pape Matar Sarr (Senegal) enjoy the balmy warmth of West Africa—a luxury not afforded to Spurs fans currently shivering in North London. Liverpool, meanwhile, arrive as defending champions in name only, their title defence having hit an iceberg somewhere around mid-October. While they are unbeaten in five in all competitinos, Arne Slot is still dealing with the fallout of the Salah-gate, but with the Egyptian King also away at Afcon, Liverpool’s Dutch head coach can at least focus on whether Hugo Ekitike can continue his one-man mission to prove that Alexander Isak is little more than a very expensive decoy. The last time these two met, Liverpool won 5-1, but given both teams’ recent penchant for slapstick comedy at the back, we could be in for anything from a 0-0 snoozefest to a 12-goal thriller that leaves the tactical analysts needing a lie-down in a darkened room.