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Thu 15 October 2015 15:54, UK

A new Liverpool era begins with a testing away fixture at White Hart Lane, and although we shouldn’t expect Jurgen Klopp to perform miracles that doesn’t mean we can’t back the visitors…
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Tottenham v Liverpool
Saturday 17th October, 12:45
Live on BT Sport 1
Tottenham
Tottenham’s season has been a bit of a slow burner so far, but now that they’ve settled they’re beginning to look like genuine top four challengers. No team in the Premier League has conceded fewer goals this season and they’ve now scored in each of their last seven matches as their attacking unit appears to be gelling nicely.
If only Harry Kane – just one Spurs goal all season – could rediscover even a fraction of last season’s form.
Spurs are now the only team not to have lost a Premier League game since the opening weekend. There’s probably been a few too many draws (4) in that intermittent period, but a win could, temporarily at least, move Spurs up to second in the table just two points behind Manchester City.
Team News: Eric Dier is unavailable to Mauricio Pochettino due to suspension and Son Heung-min is out with a foot injury. Ryan Mason and Nabil Bentaleb remain sidelined.
Liverpool
Klopp-mania has well and truly engulfed the Anfield club over the course of the past week, despite the best efforts of the man himself who has tried to dampen expectations. The German is quite obviously a charismatic figure and his record suggests that in time he will turn out to be a very good appointment for Liverpool. But it’s going to take time and having only had a couple of days to work with his full squad, we shouldn’t expect miracles this weekend.
However, I don’t think miracles are necessarily required. Yes Liverpool were in a bit of a rut under Brendan Rodgers but, as Jurgen Klopp himself has stated, they’re only three points off the top four and six points behind the league leaders. Daniel Sturridge, such a key component in Liverpool’s fortunes, will also have benefited from an extra week’s rest.
The Reds have won only one of their last nine matches in all competitions, but have beaten Spurs on each of their last five meetings and by an aggregate scoreline of 18-4. Including 3-0 and 5-0 wins on their last two visits to the Lane.
Team News: Klopp arrives at Anfield with a plethora of injury problems to contend with. Captain Jordan Henderson, Christian Benteke and Roberto Firminio are now joined on the sidelines by defender Joe Gomez who picked up a bad knee injury in the week. Dejan Lovren and Philippe Coutinho could, however, return to the fold.
Match Odds
In all honesty, I had expected the new manager effect to have a bigger impact on Liverpool’s Match Odds price and was ready to take them on at shorter odds than they probably should be. However, at current odds of 3.00 – we may well find that they shorten considerably in the lead up to the game as punters rush to back Klopp’s men – they may just be the value play here.
As mentioned above, Liverpool’s season so far hasn’t been disastrous, far from it in fact. It just seemed that everything had gotten a little stale. And if Klopp can, in just the short period of time he has had to work with his players, inject a bit of oomph – as well as getting Sturridge firing – then there’s no reason why they can’t make it six wins in a row against Spurs.
I feel I need to reiterate that this isn’t me jumping on the Klopp bandwagon and expecting miracles from day one, but more my belief that something fresh in the dressing room could be enough to, at least in the initial instance, turn around their fortunes. Liverpool at odds of 3.00 are the value play.
Over/Under 2.5 Goals
The one concern I have about backing Liverpool – and it’s admittedly a fairly big one – is that there can be no quick fix to the way that they have defended so far this season. That is going to take time.
And up against a Spurs side that are looking increasingly impressive going forwards, it’s going to need to be a high-scoring game if the visitors are going to win.
Therefore the logical, and only conclusion for me to draw from this market is to back Over 2.5 Goals at odds of 1.90.
Half Time Score
Each of Liverpool’s last four and five of Spurs’ last six games have produced first half goals, so there is little indication that we should expect a slow start to proceedings here. While Klopp’s promise of “full throttle” football adds further credence to that belief.
Therefore, an opportunity to lay 0-0 in the Half Time Score market at odds of 3.00 looks to be a pretty solid bet.
Recommended Bets
1pt Back Liverpool to win @ 3.00
2pts Back Over 2.5 Goals @ 1.90
2pts Lay 0-0 Correct Score @ 3.00
Get the best odds and a £30 free bet now by clicking here