When Liverpool supporters surveyed their schedule to begin 2017 having beaten Manchester City 1-0 on New Year’s Eve, Saturday’s contest, against Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield, would have been considered another litmus test of this team’s Premier League title mettle.

Naturally, as is so often the case in the beautiful game, plenty has altered since, most pertinently, the perception of both sides as they gear up for this mammoth occasion on Merseyside. The Reds are stealing glances over their shoulders after a torrid run, while Spurs are, just about, looking up at leaders Chelsea.

Few foresaw the frailties of Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool as they gamely clung onto the coattails of Chelsea during their record 13-game winning run earlier this term. But momentum has been drained in 2017, with the Reds searching for their first victory in the top flight this calendar year.

While Liverpool have slipped down the standings, Spurs have asserted themselves as the best of the rest. Mauricio Pochettino’s men are nine points back on the runaway leaders, although they’re playing some forceful football as things stand, showcasing the type of physicality that’ll be needed if any team are to chase down the Blues.

Needless to say, a win here for the Londoners would be a huge boost in their slender title hopes. However, Merseyside has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Spurs, with their last win against Liverpool at Anfield coming in 2011, when Luka Modric and Rafael van der Vaart netted.

While Spurs will be out to inflict more suffering on a side that are bereft of confidence, Liverpool need a response and have fared well against the stronger sides in the division this season. Defeat here and the positivity that engulfed the club during the early portion of 2016-17 will feel like a distant memory.

Where to find the game on US TV and streaming:

Date: Saturday, February 11, 2017
Time: 12:30 p.m. (ET), 9:30 a.m. (PT), 5:30 p.m. (GMT)
TV: NBC and NBC Universo
Streaming: NBC Sports App, DIRECTV NOW, Sling Blue and fuboTV (free trial)

Liverpool

Throughout his managerial career, Klopp is a coach that’s placed a great deal on impetus. The finest teams he’s fashioned at Borussia Dortmund and Liverpool produce some sizzling football when they’re confident and instinctive. But when that thrust fades, there’s a lot of hard work with little to complement it.

That’s been epitomized in this current Liverpool side. Against Hull City in their last outing—a match they eventually lost 2-0—the Reds were full of running, bristling with commitment and evidently desperate to put an end to their rotten sequence of results. Inventiveness and inspiration were scarce, though.

Liverpool supporters can at least comfort themselves in the knowledge that despite their drastic loss of form, they continue to battle and run and clatter into tackles. Provided that foundation remains, there’s a base from which they can establish the joie de vivre that laced their play earlier in the campaign.

Klopp has all the elements to rekindle that dynamic. The attacking trio of Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino are all available again, while the midfield three—Jordan Henderson, Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana—who blended grit and guile so easily also ready to be called upon.

That’s a six-piece puzzle that will surely be put back together when Spurs come to Anfield on Saturday. After all, while the Reds have it in them to physically intimidate most teams in the Premier League, Tottenham have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with them in that sense. They need to find something extra.

Playing at home, where they’ve lost three and drawn one of their last four, has become a burden rather than a boost for the Liverpool players, manager and even the fans. All need to positively align if the men in red are to conjure something special and take three points against high-class opposition.

Tottenham Hotspur

While Klopp and his players have been fumbling around for a prosperous formula over the past month, Tottenham have moved into an awesome, authoritative groove.

After back-to-back draws against Manchester City and Sunderland, Spurs got back to winning ways with a comprehensive 1-0 win against Middlesbrough; it was a result that cemented their status in second place in the Premier League, nine points behind Chelsea and crucially, three ahead of local rivals Arsenal.

Although the title may be beyond them, at the moment there’s not a team in the division who pose a more fearsome prospect than Spurs. Not only do they boast the combative attributes aforementioned, in the final third Pochettino has some players capable of altering the pattern of a contest with a moment of inspiration.

Despite only playing 19 times in the league this season, Harry Kane has 14 goals. Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen is enjoying his finest stint in a Tottenham shirt and Dele Alli remains a huge danger due to his intelligence on and off the ball in the final third.

They have the class to go to Anfield and put this ropey Liverpool back line under a lot of pressure, especially with Moussa Dembele and Victor Wanyama forming an almost indomitable partnership in the centre of the park. The duo have swaggered their way through many Premier League matches this season, giving Spurs a starting point from which they begin their suffocating attacks.

In recent seasons, Spurs have looked a little daunted when visiting Anfield and have rarely showed their best form. On the cusp of this one, they’re in a better league position and in better form than Liverpool; it’s time they showed those who frequent this iconic venue exactly why.

Predicted lineups

Key Battle – Harry Kane vs. Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip

Liverpool have been most secure in defense this season when Matip and Lovren have lined up together at the base of the team. After the latter was absent against Hull, Klopp will be hoping to field the pair again for the visit of Spurs.

Since the saga involving Matip, the Cameroon national team and FIFA, the defender hasn’t been at his best. Against Hull he was indecisive in and out of possession, while in the Reds’ previous home game, at home to Chelsea, Diego Costa caused the former Schalke man issues whenever he picked up the ball.

Kane will be hoping to do something similar. Like the Chelsea man, he’s physical, industrious and cute in his movement in the final third. The Tottenham star has proven he can net a variety of different goals too; whether it’s left foot, right foot, in the air or from distance, if Kane escapes their attentions, he can get the visitors on the scoresheet.

With Alli, Eriksen and Son Heung-min in support, the ball will find its way into the feet of the Spurs No.10 frequently. If Lovren and Matip fail to react in those situations, the Reds could be staring down the barrel of another home defeat.