The destination of the Premier League title has long been decided.
It has been something of a procession for Liverpool, who are 12 points clear at the top and know that a draw on Sunday will be enough against Tottenham to get the job done.
Arne Slot will be the first Dutch coach to win the Premier League, while he will only be the fifth boss who claims the title in his debut season, after Jose Mourinho (2004-05), Carlo Ancelotti (2009-10), Manuel Pellegrini (2013-14) and Antonio Conte (2016-17).
The Reds have been dominant this season, and although Arsenal and Manchester City have missed the consistency that they have demonstrated in recent seasons, that should not remove anything from what Slot has achieved.
However, things can hardly be different for traces.
Ange Postecoglou promised Bullishs to win a trophy this season, and although that could still be done in the semi-final of the Europa League team is 16th in the competition.
They are of course free of any danger, but that says more about the lack of quality of the lower three than about traces.
Here we dive into the most important facts for the match.
What is expected?
This is the fourth meeting between these teams this season.
Spurs have already sent 10 goals over those matches and lost 6-3 in the Premier League and 4-0 in the EFL Cup, with a 1-0 win in the first stage of that semi-final.
They last gave birth to an opponent in 2013-14 (11 vs Manchester City), while they have admitted the most in a single season 14 (vs Chelsea in 2001-02).
Spurs has only won two of their last 24 Premier League matches against Liverpool (D6 L16), with both victories at home. They also did not succeed in holding a clean slate in one of their last 18 against the Reds in the competition.
Liverpool is unbeaten in their last 15 home games against Tottenham in all competitions (W11 D4) and won the last three while scoring four goals every time.
It is therefore no surprise that the Opta Liverpool model makes overwhelming favorites, whereby the Reds handed a chance of winning of 71.2%.
The chances of Spurs are arranged on a meager 12.6%, while the chance of a draw – which would be sufficient to see Liverpool win the title – is 16.2%.
Unbridled red roaring to glory
Liverpool has only lost two league matches this season. Their first defeat came home in Nottingham Forest in September, while their second on April 6 came to Fulham in Craven Cottage.
Even in that most recent defeat, the Reds were able to consider themselves somewhat unhappy – they ended up with 14 shots, had six on goal (corresponding Fulham's count) and generating 1.5 expected goals for the 0.74 of their opponents.
Slot has an average of 2.39 points per match in the competition this season. To put that in perspective, only three of his eight full seasons that were in charge, Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool average have more points per match, Reds so far in 2021-22 (2.42), 2019-20 (2.60) and 2018-19 (2.55).
With five more games, Liverpool has already won as many Premier League matches this season as the previous term (24), while the victory in this game would also see them equal to their spot count of last season (82) with four games to go.
They would also only be the seventh team to win the title with four or more competitions.
Liverpool scored at least once in each of their last 29 Premier League matches, since that 1-0 loss against Forest in September. It is the second longest score streak in a single campaign, after Arsenal, which scored in all 38 games in 2001-02.
Goals of Hendo and Mo complete the comeback against Spurs #livtot 19/20 pic.twitter.com/cn7dqnxbku
– Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 24, 2025
The Reds have scored 75 goals nine more than any other team of a competition-leading 73.37 expected goals.
No team has (97) or scored (52) as many great opportunities as Liverpool scored, while on the other side they have kept 14 clean sheets, more than any other team.
They are certainly worthy champions.
Play spurs for pride
The gap between these teams may not have been that great in the Premier League era.
Spurs are 42 points behind Liverpool (79) that comes in this competition.
It is the second highest number of points that have been traces behind one side they stand for- they were 43 behind Arsenal when they met in April 2004 in White Hart Lane, where the gunners secured the title against them that day.
So there is really not much, but proud to play for, and Postecoglou will almost certainly let his most important players rest, with this game coming only four days before the first stage of Spurs' Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt.
Spurs has lost 18 Premier League matches this season. They only lost more in 1993-94 and 2003-04 (both times 19), while they run the risk of matching, or even ending lower than, their worst finish ever in the competition (15th).
Given what is at stake for Liverpool, and with Anfield certainly with a great voice, it can be a case of damage limitation for Postecoglou.
In a grim omen, however, Spurs have the fourth worst expected goals in the competition this season (54.25) – the only parties that have admitted a higher XGA are the bottom three.
The Liverpool attackers should then lick their lips.
Players to watch
Liverpool – Mohamed Salah
Record-Chasing Salah has scored 15 goals against Spurs in all competitions, only more against Manchester United (16) in his European club career.
Eleven of those 15 goals have come in the Premier League, with only Alan Shearer (14) more against Spurs in the competition.
Salah is this period at 45 goals in the competition, which means that he needs three more to set the new Premier League record of one season. The Egyptian is only eight goals and helps match Wayne Rooney's record as a player with the most target involvement for one club (276 for Man Utd).
Tottenham – Richarlison
A lot that Spurs has possible is Richarlison, who has written the 2-1 defeat against Nottingham Forest on Monday.
Richarlison scored in four of his last five Premier League performances (four goals), although Tottenham has lost all four of these games. Indeed, only Matheus Cunha (five) scored this period in more defeats than Richarlison.
The former Everton -Man has also scored four league goals against the Reds, so he has a decent state of service against them.
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