Liverpool vs Tottenham – Combined XI ahead of Anfield clash | OneFootball

Liverpool and Tottenham meet in the Premier League this weekend with both teams looking to bounce back from disappointing downturns in form.

The title hopes of Liverpool look all but over after one win in five, though the Reds will want to send off Jurgen Klopp with some positive performances in the final weeks of the season. For Spurs, the top four also looks improbable after three successive losses.

Improvement is required from both teams and ahead of the clash we’ve picked our Liverpool and Tottenham Combined XI.

Goalkeeper: Alisson – Liverpool

Guglielmo Vicario has won plaudits for his performances since signing for Spurs, but in Alisson Becker Liverpool have arguably the best in the business. The Brazil international transmits huge confidence to those ahead of him, with a commanding presence and excellent handling and athleticism.

A transformative signing after arriving from Roma almost six years ago, he has an argument as one of the greatest goalkeepers the Premier League has seen

Right-back: Trent Alexander-Arnold – Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold earns the right-back place in our Combined XI despite an impressive campaign for Pedro Porro. Alexander-Arnold has set new standards for production from full-back, boasting an outrageous passing range.

He has spent increasing time in midfield of late and the engine room could be where the 25-year-old finds himself permanently under Liverpool’s next manager. Getting him on the ball as often as possible should be a priority.

Centre-back: Cristian Romero – Tottenham

A leader for Spurs, Ange Postecoglou has showered praise on the World Cup winner for his performances this season. Romero leads his Tottenham teammates for aerial duels won, headed clearances, and completed passes, while he ranks second for interceptions.

No defender in the Premier League has scored more goals than the Argentine (5) this season, who gives nothing less than full-blooded commitment each time he wears a Spurs shirt.

Centre-back: Virgil van Dijk – Liverpool

Virgil van Dijk has seen Tottenham’s Micky van de Ven take headlines as a commanding Dutch defender this season, but the Liverpool captain remains the benchmark for the division’s centre-backs.

A colossal defensive presence, he tops the Premier League for aerials won (132) and percentage of aerials won (82%) this season.

Left-back: Andy Robertson – Liverpool

Andy Robertson’s arrival ranks as some of the best business of the Jurgen Klopp era. An unheralded £8m arrival from Hull City, the Scotland left-back has since made 295 appearances and has played a crucial role in the club’s modern successes.

Since joining the Reds, only teammate Trent Alexander-Arnold has been directly involved in more goals (72) than Robertson (64) in the Premier League among defenders.

Midfield: Yves Bissouma – Tottenham

Though the Mali midfielder has suffered a drop-off since a brilliant start to the campaign, his prolific ball-winning and evasive dribbling give him the edge over Wataru Endo in our anchor role.

Bissouma ranks in the Premier League’s top 10 players for dribblers tackled, tackles won and pass completion (92.1%), while he’s in the 95th percentile of midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues for interceptions per 90 minutes.

Midfield: Alexis Mac Allister – Liverpool

Arguably in contention for Liverpool’s Player of the Season award, the £35m fee paid to sign Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton has been shrewd business from the Reds. The World Cup winner has six goals, several of them spectacular, and seven assists in all competitions in 2023/24.

Despite operating in an unfamiliar deeper role for much of the season, he has not shirked the challenge of engaging in the uglier side of the game, combining creativity with combative edge. His seven league bookings suggest a little too much, on occasion.

Midfield: James Maddison – Tottenham

Dominik Szoboszlai and James Maddison have each suffered dips from strong starts to the season, though we’ve sided with the latter to make our Combined XI. At his best, Maddison has been the central figure in Ange Postecoglou’s adventurous side, drifting into pockets of space and finding passes between lines.

Four goals and seven assists is a solid return for the campaign having missed a large chunk injured, though Spurs will know there’s more to come from the England midfielder next season.

Right-wing: Mohamed Salah – Liverpool

Mohamed Salah’s numbers swell with each season at Anfield, with another campaign of productivity in the final third enhancing the Egyptian’s legacy at Liverpool.

In all competitions, the 31-year-old has scored 20+ goals for the seventh straight season in a Liverpool shirt and he has 26 goals and assists in the Premier League in only 25 starts this season. When he does eventually call time on his career with the club, he will do so as a club great. His output will be almost impossible to replace.

Left-wing: Luis Diaz – Liverpool

Luis Diaz has had his critics but the Liverpool left-winger has been one of the brighter lights in a disappointing end to the season. The Colombian never stops trying, runs himself into the ground, and ensures any full-back he is up against is in for a hard, hard afternoon.

His end product can, and perhaps needs to, improve next season but a return of 13 goals in all competitions is a respectable record.

Forward: Son Heung-min – Tottenham

Son Heung-min starts at centre-forward in our Combined XI, with the South Korean sharp-shooter one of the deadliest marksmen in the division.

Only Phil Foden (+5.66) has outperformed his xG to a greater extent than the Spurs captain, whose ability off either foot often has him near the top of that metric. It’s a clinical edge that Darwin Nunez has lacked in a Liverpool shirt, with the Uruguayan having the worst xG underperformance (-6.47) in the Premier League.

Read – Liverpool vs Tottenham – Premier League Match Preview

See more – Five of the best – Liverpool vs Tottenham goals

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