EXPECTED Liverpool lineup vs Tottenham as Arne Slot tipped to make NINE changes

Liverpool will travel to North London to face Tottenham on Sunday afternoon as they look to ensure they spend Christmas at the top of the Premier League table.

The Reds are two points clear of Chelsea in second, with a game in hand, but only a win can guarantee they remain league leaders.

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While most of Liverpool's squad depth was utilised in the team's EFL Cup quarter-final win over Southampton in midweek, a number of the Reds' big names were given a well-deserved rest.

As such, there will be a wave of changes to the team, as Arne Slot attempts to continue the side's extraordinary run of form.

Here is the expected lineup for Liverpool's visit to Tottenham.

The back line

Alisson Becker will likely return for Coaimhin Kelleher, as Liverpool's No1 goalkeeper. Kelleher had been given a run of games while the Brazilian was out injured, but now he is at full fitness there is only one choice to be made.

The team has two defensive absentees for this game, Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley, who remain injured and will likely be out of action until the new year.

Kostas Tsimikas made a successful return to the pitch against Southampton after being substituted on for the second half, and although Andy Robertson missed the game serving a one-match suspension for his red card against Fulham, the Scottish captain is now also available for selection.

Despite Robertson having a tumultuous time lately, he is Liverpool's most experienced defender, and Slot will trust him to have learned his lesson from last time out.

While Jarell Quansah was played at centre-back in order to facilitate Joe Gomez's move to left-back on Wednesday, it is expected that the latter will be partnering the rested Virgil van Dijk in the heart of the defence.

While it is a possibility that Quansah could play alongside Van Dijk to allow Gomez to cover Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, the wonderkid only played 45 minutes against Southampton, which suggests that Slot has him in mind for this game.

The midfield battle

Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch were all rested in midweek, and it seems logical to suggest that Slot will start each of them, for the team to have the required energy and tenacity to compete against Tottenham.

Tyler Morton and Trey Nyoni were played in midweek in order for Slot to assess their attributes and while we may see them involved in the squad as the season progresses, they will be kept far away from this game.

Alexis Mac Allister would usually be partnering Gravenberch in midfield, but after starting the Southampton game, he may well prove to be more useful off the bench in these circumstances.

Harvey Elliott made his first real appearance since his injury that had kept him sidelined since September, so he will be a player that Slot can utilise in a short cameo should the game begin to fall flat.

The front three

Once again, expect sweeping changes in personnel for this game.

Cody Gakpo was preferred to Luis Diaz in midweek, although now the Colombian has had a week's rest, it seems logical for Slot to play him.

Mohamed Salah rarely misses a game, but this week Slot was able to facilitate a rest for him. But for a contest like this, I'd expect him to be the first name in the team sheet.

Darwin Nunez was the preferred striker in the last match, although now that Diogo Jota is fully fit, following his spell on the sidelines, the Portuguese international may be the preferred pick.

Arne Slot made the claim in his pre-match press conference that he is open to the idea of Diaz playing the No9 role on occasions moving forward, although this would require Gakpo to start at left wing and his influence in this game may be better utilised from the bench.

Federico Chiesa finally managed to get some minutes under his belt, after suffering numerous injury setbacks since he arrived on Merseyside. He will most definitely be sitting on the bench, but should an opportunity arise, he'll be sure to grab it with both hands.

(4-2-1-3): Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson, Gravenberch, Jones, Szoboszlai, Salah, Diaz, Jota

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