Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool are primed to do battle in the Premier League at Wembley this weekend. As we look forward to the gigantic clash, here is a composite XI from both teams, in a 4-3-3 formation.
Alisson
Hugo Lloris’ quality and experience would have had him in this line-up but he has been ruled out with injury and won’t be playing. Liverpool’s new goalkeeper Alisson came under the spotlight after a blunder against Leicester led to a goal but he’s otherwise been outstanding so far.
Kieran Trippier
Kieran Trippier continues to start for England ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The Liverpool youngster is arguably the more talented player but Trippier is established and more experienced.
Virgil Van Dijk
Liverpool paid a record fee to bring Virgil Van Dijk to Anfield, and the move has come up trumps. Only short of winning major trophies, he is generally becoming accepted as the best centre-back in the Premier League.
Jan Vertonghen
There is little to choose between Jan Vertonghen and his teammate Toby Alderweireld. We’ve gone with the earlier simply because he has played more in the last year than his Belgian counterpart.
Andy Robertson
When Andy Robertson arrived at Liverpool last summer, many people saw him as a back-up option, or at best a stopgap before a more established name arrived. The Scot however proved his mettle and made the left-back spot his own. He gets in ahead of Spurs’ Ben Davies.
James Milner
James Milner has for years been lauded for his versatility and willingness to be reliable across different positions on the pitch. For the last year though, he is starting to be appreciated for his quality as well. He assisted his 80th Premier League goal against Leicester, as many as David Beckham did over the course of his career.
Mousa Dembélé
Naby Keita has won rave reviews with his very impressive start to his Liverpool career, but Mousa Dembélé has been doing it for years for Spurs, and Fulham before them.
Christian Eriksen
This was another all-Tottenham head-to-head, with Christian Eriksen ousting Dele Alli. Alli is injured and will miss out this weekend, but Eriksen does indeed have more merit anyway.
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah scored 34 league goals in his first season back on English soil, and 44 in all competitions. He is undoubtedly the main man for Liverpool, and has even ousted Lionel Messi in the finalists’ list for FIFA’s The Best Awards.
Harry Kane
Like Salah, there is no argument about Kane’s place in the team. Roberto Firmino brings the best out of his fellow forwards at Liverpool and his numbers are quite impressive, but Kane has been the best and most consistent number nine in the league for a few years now.
Sadio Mané
Sadio Mané fell a bit under shadow of the all-conquering Salah last season, but the Senegalese has started this season in sparkling form. Four goals in four matches so far has him leading the scoring charts.