Daniel Sturridge
Sturridge returned with a goal against West Ham on Saturday Getty

Liverpool host Tottenham at Anfield on Tuesday as the race for a top four spot heats up.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 7:45pm GMT. Live coverage of the game will be available on BT Sport1 and BT Sport 1 HD.

Overview

Liverpool are faced with a must win situation against Tottenham if they have to harbour hopes of securing a top four spot this season. The Reds are currently five points off a top-four spot and a loss here will be a major blow to their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League next season.

The Reds managed a 1-1 draw against local rivals Everton in their last game, as Southampton and Tottenham won their games against Queens Park Rangers and Arsenal respectively, taking them closer to a top four spot.

Daniel Sturridge meanwhile, is likely to start after coming off the bench in recent matches, but the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Lucas and Raheem Sterling are doubtful and this may give the Spurs a good chance to win, considering their current form.

Rodgers will be worried about fatigue catching up on his players, especially with Liverpool having played multiple games on the stretch, including the FA Cup fifth round replay, where they beat Bolton.

Tottenham will be buoyed after their victory over Arsenal in the north London derby at White Hart Lane. The Spurs, who were down a goal in the opening 10 minutes, rallied back in the second half to score two quickfire goals and leapfrogged the Gunners to fifth spot.

Harry Kane scored a brace and is slowly but surely emerging as Tottenham's biggest weapon this season, who are only a point behind Manchester United in fourth. Mauricio Pochettino will however do well to get his side back in line after an exhausting weekend, where they gave everything to pull off a massive win over their London rivals.

A win here, will more or less pit Liverpool out of the race and give them one less team to worry about, as they look to challenge for their first Champions League place since 2011.

What managers say

Brendan Rodgers: "If we are playing one game a week we are not in cup competitions and not doing as well as we would want. We want the games to come, this is a challenging year, but we will be better when we come out of this year and so will the players. Phil Coutinho had a knock on his knee and Raheem had a knock on his foot. We had fresh players on the bench to bring on and hopefully they will be fit for Tuesday."

Betting odds (888Sport.com)

  • Liverpool Win: 16/19
  • Draw: 14/5
  • Tottenham Win: 13/4

Team news

Liverpool

Possible XI: Mignolet; Can, Skrtel, Sakho; Lallana, Henderson, Gerrard, Moreno, Sterling, Coutinho; Sturridge.

Tottenham

Possible XI: Lloris; Walker, Fazio, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason; Eriksen, Dembele, Lamela; Kane.

Liverpool FC Tottenham