Anfield Road

LIVERPOOL travel to White Hart Lane for Sunday’s early afternoon kick-off against Tottenham Hotspur and The Reds will be wary not to make too many assumptions about how the game might pan out.

Watch Spurs v Liverpool live >>

Looking at the league table it’s 17th v 6th with the home side having just got back from a trip to Greece for their Europa League match against PAOK Salonica. Surely that gives Liverpool the edge? Well, league tables mean very little at this point in the season and in fact there are only four points between the two sides – and Spurs have a game in hand (their opener against Everton was called off following the riots in North London). As for post-European fatigue, whilst Harry Redknapp was flying to the continent for his sides European game Kenny Dalglish was at Melwood talking to the press and preparing for this match – but Redknapp made ten changes for the game in Greece and is likely to make a similar number again for this game.

Liverpool will be without full-back Glen Johnson whose return from injury was very short-lived, he’s out with a recurrence of the hamstring injury. The captain, Steven Gerrard, is nearing fitness but almost certainly won’t be risked for this one, the league cup game down in Brighton likely to be the one that sees him make a comeback from injury and the surgery that has seen him missing since the spring.

For Spurs Michael Dawson will be missing but a decision will be made late on Ledley King. There’s a possibility that Rafael van der Vaart will get back after being out injured, much less of a possibility that William Gallas or Aaron Lennon will return from their injuries.

Spurs won their last league match, the trip to Molineux last weekend, with goals from debutante Emmanuel Adebayor and Jermain Defoe plus a clean sheet from their ex-Liverpool keeper Brad Friedel. It was the first clean sheet of the league season for Friedel and Spurs, also their first win, having been beaten 3-0 and 5-1 by Manchester’s United and City respectively. What Liverpool now need to find out is if Spurs were just off to a bad start or if they’re there for the taking. That win over Wolves was only their fourth win in their last 14 league games.

Liverpool have been good at creating chances but haven’t put enough of them away – and Brad Friedel has been a thorn in Liverpool’s side more than once since leaving. Friedel now plays at a ground that hasn’t exactly been kind to Liverpool in recent years; Liverpool have lost their last four matches at White Hart Lane, including one League Cup fixture. The Reds’ last victory there was in 2008 thanks to goals from the then number 9 and number 10 – Fernando Torres and Andriy Voronin (in fact it was a record-breaking goal for Fernando Torres, his 24th League goal in 33 appearances meant he’d scored the most goals, as a foreign player, in a debut season in the Premier League).

This season the manager will choose his forwards from Dirk Kuyt, Craig Bellamy, Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll and it’s difficult to predict which of those four he’ll use – or where he’ll play Bellamy or Kuyt if he includes them. It’s also difficult to predict where Steven Gerrard might play when he makes his comeback, but a number of players know they’ve got to take their chances now to avoid being the one chosen to make way for the captain’s return. Jordan Henderson may consider himself under threat in that regard, less likely candidates to be moved out are Charlie Adam and Lucas Leiva.

Liverpool’s new signings haven’t exactly enjoyed recent outings at White Hart Lane. Downing was on the losing side for Aston Villa last season as Spurs won 2-1 after being a goal down and Andy Carroll’s last game for Newcastle was the 2-0 defeat at the same ground. Charlie Adam had a slightly better time, missing one penalty but scoring another as Blackpool left London with a point.

In defence there’s something of a dilemma for Dalglish. Martin Kelly is close to fitness but there will be some reluctance to rush him back from his hamstring injury, particularly with Glen Johnson having been ruled out again after also coming back from a hamstring injury. Martin Skrtel came on for Kelly against Bolton and when Carra waved angrily at him to get over to right back it suggested the vice-captain won’t be playing there again. Skrtel did okay against Bolton – and scored a goal – and Kenny decided to use him there again in the next match, the defeat away to Stoke. Skrtel certainly isn’t a natural right-back though and Kenny may choose to recall youngster John Flanagan for this one if Kelly doesn’t make it.

Jamie Carragher and Daniel Agger are expected to start in the centre of defence but Sebastian Coates will be knocking on the door and eager to get some playing time for his new club. Jose Enrique will be at left-back.

Liverpool lost their final home game of last season to Spurs but it’s safe to say most of the squad had got demob happy as the summer break loomed. Kenny expects better: “We will try our best to improve on that performance from the game in May and try to improve the result. We will always try to entertain, we will always try our best. I can only follow the philosophy in which I was brought up playing and I cannot be anybody else. That was the way I was brought up.”

If Liverpool win today, and depending on results elsewhere, they could end the day in third. But defeat would leave them level on points with Everton having played a game more and nobody at Anfield wants that.

Liverpool team (expected) – Reina, Skrtel, Carra, Agger, Enrique, Adam, Lucas, Henderson, Suarez, Carrol, Downing. Subs: Doni, Robinson, Coates, Maxi, Spearing, Bellamy, Kuyt

Watch Spurs v Liverpool

Kick-off: 1:30pm BST

TV Coverage UK: Live on Sky Sports 1, highlights Match of the Day 2.
TV Coverage US: Live on FoxSoccer.TV, sign up here.

* FoxSoccer.TV shows games that are not currently shown on subscription packages available in the UK, including Saturday 3pm kick-offs. Liverpool’s games against Brighton (League Cup, 21st Sep) and Wolves (Premier League, 24th Sep) will be shown live on FoxSoccer.TV. To view FoxSoccer.TV you need to be based in the US or have a US IP address. For details on how to get a US IP address using a VPN, or Proxy Server, visit USAProxyServer.com.