Champions League need unites Liverpool and Tottenham
LONDON: Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur will be separated by just two points, but united in one ambition when they meet at Anfield on Sunday with a top-four finish imperative for both.
Failing to earn a Champions League place could stall the steady progress overseen by Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino.
Klopp's men hold a marginal advantage as they sit third, two points ahead of Spurs, who are fifth, as the race to finish in the three places behind runaway leaders Manchester City intensifies with Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal also in contention.
"The situation in the table, our targets, what we want to do and where we want to finish the season, it's clear it is a very important game," Klopp said on Friday, "These are these kind of six-point games."
However, while Premier League clubs splashed out a record £430 million ($612 million, 491 million euros) in the January transfer window, Liverpool and Tottenham were more discerning than their rivals for the top four.
Despite making Virgil van Dijk the most expensive defender in football history through a £75 million move from Southampton, Liverpool still closed the window with a huge profit following the sale of Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £142 million.
Likewise, in spite of Lucas Moura's late capture on deadline day from Paris Saint-Germain, Spurs remain in the bottom half of the Premier League table when it comes to net spend on transfers this season. - AFP