Battle for top four heats up

LONDON. - The intensifying battle for Champions League soccer places takes centre stage in the English Premier League this weekend as Liverpool host Tottenham, while Manchester United and Chelsea seek to recover from damaging defeats.

Just five points now separate United in second from Spurs in fifth, with the riches and prestige of a place in the Champions League for next season fuelling a record £430 million splurge in the January transfer window.

Arsenal sit a distant sixth, six points behind their north London rivals, provoking an uncharacteristically busy window of comings and goings at the Emirates.

Philippe Coutinho’s 160-million-euro move to Barcelona meant Liverpool ended January in the black despite splashing out a world-record £75 million for a defender on Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk.

Despite holding their own in this season’s Champions League and domestically, Liverpool and Spurs are not even in the top 10 for net spend on transfers in the English Premier League this season.

However, the steady progress achieved by both clubs under Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino will be threatened if they miss out on next season’s Champions League, making tomorrow’s clash at Anfield all the more vital.

A dominant 2-0 victory over Manchester United on Wednesday underlined Spurs’ return to form and a win at Anfield would move them ahead of their hosts in the table.

Burnley v Manchester City (2:30pm); Bournemouth v Stoke; Brighton v West Ham; Leicester v Swansea; Manchester United v Huddersfield; West Brom v Southampton; Arsenal v Everton (7:30pm).

Crystal Palace v Newcastle United (4:15pm); Liverpool v Tottenham (6:30pm). Monday: Watford v Chelsea (10pm). AFP.