Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur face off at the White Hart Lane in what is expected to be a keenly fought contest. They couldn’t be separated over the two matches last season and both the teams will be looking to change that on Saturday. Spurs have got off to a reasonably satisfying start with a draw and a win in their two matches thus far but have rarely looked like coming out of 1st gear. Pochettino will be eager to see his star players getting into the groove with the Klopp army in town.
Meanwhile, Liverpool seem to be back to their old ways as they had an amazingly contrasting couple of weeks. After a goal blitz at the Emirates, Liverpool failed to break down a Burnley defence despite enjoying over 80% possession. With this particular fixture pretty much the game of the weekend, we experiment with a combined eleven of these two teams who will both be vying for the Top 4 spots this year. (Injured and Suspended players have been excluded)
MANAGER- MAURICIO POCHETTINO
The former Southampton manager’s experience and the consistent nature of his success pulls him ahead of Klopp who is relatively new to the league and is yet to find a settled Liverpool team.
GOALKEEPER: MICHEL VORM
With Lloris and Karius out injured and Mignolet yet to settle down this season having conceded 5 goals in two games, Vorm is the preferred goalkeeper.
RIGHT-BACK: KYLE WALKER
It was a close call between Clyne and Walker but the Spurs man edges ahead on current form as he has flown off the blocks for Tottenham this season.
CENTRE-BACK: TOBY ALDERWEIRELD
The Belgian has started off from where he left last season. With Liverpool’s woes in defence rendering them incapable of keeping a clean sheet, he is the obvious choice.
CENTRE-BACK: JAN VERTONGHEN
His partnership with Toby has got better with each game and the left and right footed combination has worked wonders for them.
LEFT-BACK: DANNY ROSE
A no-brainer. How Klopp would have loved to have the Englishman on his team now!
CDM: EMRE CAN
The German is as a doubt but is the only recognized central defensive midfielder in Liverpool’s ranks.
CDM: VICTOR WANYAMA
The former Southampton man has settled in seamlessly into the Spurs line-up and also offers an option in advanced areas as his goal showed last weekend.
RAM: ERIK LAMELA
The Argentine has enjoyed a mini-renaissance of his own and has been consistent over a period of matches which was previously missing in his game.
CAM: ROBERTO FIRMINO
The Brazilian is waiting to explode this season and seems to have edged Sturridge as an option up top for Klopp. He will lend trickery and goal threat from the No.10 position.
LAM: PHILLIPE COUTINHO
The Brazilian edges ahead of his Danish counterpart with a more direct goal threat and his ability to produce a moment of magic out of nowhere makes him a better choice on the left-hand side.
FWD: SADIO MANE
With both Harry Kane and Daniel Sturridge failing to find their rhythm in the league till now, the electric pace of Sadio Mane and his previous experience of playing up top for Southampton makes him an interesting pick for the striker’s role.
