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Can Klopp Inflict First Loss on Conte?
With four wins in six matches in all competitions, Antonio Conte seems to be having a good run since moving to Tottenham Hotspur. That would however be put to test on Sunday as Premier League title contender, Liverpool visit the new White Hart Lane for a Week 18 encounter. Jurgen Klopp’s side is second on the table and would be hoping for a win tomorrow to keep his title hope alive
Tottenham Hotspur are scheduled to return to Premier League action on Sunday afternoon with a clash against Liverpool in North London.
Spurs have seen their matches with Rennes, Brighton & Hove Albion and Leicester City postponed due to coronavirus issues, meaning that they have not been in action since beating Norwich City 3-0 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 5.
A total of 25 points from 14 matches has left Antonio Conte’s side in seventh spot in the table, four points behind fourth-placed Arsenal, with three games in hand over the Gunners, While Ruby Fortune Opiniones casino online games explains more.
As for Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp’s men are in scintillating form with six straight victories and just one point between them and Premier League leaders Manchester City. Mohamed Salah and Diogo Jota are in unplayable form at the moment, with the Egyptian superstar tallying 15 goals and nine assists through 17 games and the Portuguese understudy chipping with nine and one of his own, including six in his last nine Premier League appearances.
Earlier today, Leeds United will attempt to respond to their humiliating 7-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City last time out when they welcome Arsenal to Elland Road today.
Marcelo Bielsa’s side fell to the club’s joint-heaviest ever league defeat on Tuesday night, while Arsenal climbed into the top four 24 hours later with victory over West Ham United.
Given how impressive they were during their first season back in the top flight last term, there were plenty of people who expected Leeds to be immune from the dreaded second-season syndrome this year, but so far they have struggled to live up to their performances from 2020-21.
Injuries to key players have played a major role in that, but they head into this weekend’s fixtures sitting 16th in the table, only five points above the relegation zone and having played two games more than 18th-placed Burnley.
Bielsa’s men are in the midst of just about the most difficult run of fixtures it is possible to get in the Premier League right now, with today’s game the third in a run of four matches in a row against each of the current top four.
The first of those saw them push Chelsea all the way before losing to a contentious last-gasp penalty, but the same XI was then trounced by a rampant Man City in midweek as Bielsa saw one of his sides concede seven goals in a game for the very first time in his long and distinguished managerial career.
That result means that only the bottom two have now conceded more goals or possess a worse goal difference than Leeds this season, having shipped 12 in their current three-game winless run.
Things won’t get much easier with Arsenal and Liverpool to come either side of Christmas, but Leeds will be desperate to prove that Tuesday’s match was an anomaly and they will be confident that another performance of the level they produced against Chelsea last weekend could be enough to get something out of the game against Arsenal.
The fact that it comes at Elland Road should boost Leeds’ hopes too, with Bielsa’s men unbeaten in their last five home games stretching back to September, although only two of those have ended as wins.
Indeed, Leeds have only won one of their seven outings home or away since the beginning of November, while two of their three Premier League wins this season have come against teams currently below them in the table.
Arsenal will justifiably head into today’s match as favourites, then, particularly after Wednesday’s 2-0 London derby win over West Ham United lifted them into the top four of the Premier League table for the first time since October last year.
Mikel Arteta’s main concern on the field ahead of today is likely to be improving his side’s away form.
The Gunners have lost five of their eight Premier League away games so far this season, including each of the last three, conceding nine goals in the process.
Indeed, only four teams have shipped more goals on the road this term than Arsenal, all of whom are in the bottom six.
If the visitors can correct those away woes and couple them with the league’s joint-best home record this season then it may be hard for the chasing pack to catch them in the top-four race, and Arteta will be viewing today’s match against a wounded Leeds as a great chance to do just that.