LONDON: Liverpool will try to clinch its 20th English league title when it hosts Tottenham Hotspur in an early Sunday clash.
Manager Arne Slot’s side needs only a draw to make official what has been clear for weeks. The Reds will move back even with Manchester United atop the ranks of most English titles won, with their first league crown in five seasons and only their second since the 1989-90 campaign.
But after seeing his team win six of their last seven league matches and 13 of their 16 home league fixtures so far, Slot would rather not limp over the line.
“We’re only settling for a win, and a point is not enough,” insisted Slot, who previously managed Feyenoord to the league title in the 2022-23 Dutch Eredivisie. “It’s mostly three, four or five minutes that you are really happy, and then ‘normal’ manager life starts again. Enjoying is what you do after the referee has blown his whistle.”
It would be the second league title for striker Mo Salah, defender and captain Virgil van Dijk, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and goalkeeper Alisson. And it would be the first they can celebrate with supporters after winning the 2019-20 crown behind closed doors during the pandemic.
Salah, 32, has enjoyed a career year, scoring 27 league goals and assisting 18 more to involve himself in an astounding 60 per cent of Liverpool’s total league scoring output. And, presuming a productive result for his team on Sunday, Salah will be able to celebrate securing his Liverpool future after signing a two-year contract extension earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Spurs will make the trip North with one eye on Thursday’s first leg in the UEFA Europa League semifinals at home to Norway’s Bodo/Glimt.
Currently in 16th place en route to the most disappointing league season in recent memory, Tottenham is nonetheless safe from relegation and free to prioritise continental competition.
Manager Ange Postecoglou’s squad is mostly healthy, with only Heung-min Son unavailable with a foot injury.
Spurs most recently fell 2-1 in league play to Nottingham Forest on Monday.
“Squad-wise, there’s no change. All the guys got through (Forest) OK,” Postecoglou told the Tottenham club website. “Again, with the program we have coming up, Thursday obviously is a big night for us, so it will be a matter of playing a few that need the game time and others we feel may need less exposure. We’ll have a look at that.”
Agencies