“There’s no lack of individual quality in both camps” – Joleon Lescott makes his prediction for Tottenham vs Liverpool
Joleon Lescott believes Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool will battle to a draw in their Premier League clash on Sunday, November 6.
Spurs currently sit third in the table, 10 points clear of ninth-placed Jurgen Klopp's side following the Reds' sluggish start to the season. Liverpool have lost their previous two league encounters against relegation-threatened Nottingham Forest and Leeds United. They are desperate to get their campaign back on track.
The Reds' aim will surely now be to reach the top four, as they currently sit eight points behind fourth-placed Newcastle United.
Meanwhile, Tottenham made a comeback from 2-0 down to beat Bournemouth 3-2 last weekend (October 30). However, their first-half displays have been really poor recently.
Spurs' recent record against Liverpool is dreadful, having failed to beat Klopp's men at the new Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They have won just one of their previous 21 meetings with the Merseyside club, losing 14 of those clashes, including the 2019 Champions League final.
Speaking to LiveScore, Lescott predicted the clash in north London would finish 1-1, as the former Manchester City and England defender explained:
"Heung-Min Son is ruled out of this one and that’s a hammer blow for Spurs, he’s so influential in these close encounters."
He added:
"Even without the South Korean, there’s no lack of individual quality in both camps and it’ll likely be a case of which marquee players turn up. I can’t split these two so I’m going to sit on the fence!"
Joleon Lescott speculates the problems Liverpool would face if they missed out on the Champions League
Ahead of their clash with Tottenham this weekend, Lescott explained that the Reds' expectations have been dramatically revised this season.
Their slow start has led to fears that they may not qualify for the Champions League, which the pundit believes would be terrible news for the club. Lescott said:
"Liverpool are one of those teams, though it’s hard to know what you’re going to get from Jurgen Klopp’s men at the minute. At the start of the season this would’ve seemed crazy, but if you offered Liverpool fourth place and no trophies, I think they’d take it. Of course, that’s a poor season by their standards and a huge drop-off from where they’ve been in recent years."
He added:
"Yet missing out on the Champions League would just create a whole other world of problems, such as star players wanting to leave and trouble attracting new talent. As Manchester United found out in recent seasons, a club’s reputation can only do so much. The best players want to be playing in the Champions League."