Limping to Liverpool

I don't think there's ever a good time to be facing a club doubleheader in Liverpool, but the tail end of this season is certainly the worst set of circumstances in a while, with both teams struggling to pick up points in league play.

In this issue: Previewing the Liverpool doubleheader

Spurs Women kick things off on Sunday with the early (and I mean early) fixture, then Spurs Men complete the day of... well, whatever the opposite of fun is. Dread? Disaster? I suppose that remains to be seen if either team can pull off a surprise result.

Previewing WSL Matchday 20 — Liverpool

With this penultimate away match, we are truly entering the final stretch of the season. There's not much to play for in a literal sense, as we are all but mathematically safe from relegation thanks to goal difference, but we can still hope for a show of pride and progress.

That hope must be tempered by the fact that we'll be without two key players from the spine of the squad, Eveliina Summanen and Drew Spence; both miss out due to suspension from yellow card accumulation. It would be a big help if captain Beth England is at least able to start after only being able to feature off the bench in the previous game. Elsewhere in the team news, Charli Grant is back in contention, but Luana Bühler and Hayley Raso remain out.

But we also got an unfortunate update on Kit Graham's ACL rehab: she won't be back in full team training before the end of the season, and therefore won't be making a single appearance this season (her ACL tear occurred just before the campaign started in pre-season). Graham's contract is up at the end of this current season, so the club will need to make a decision soon on her future at Spurs. Personally, I think we have really missed her stability, work rate, and creativity in the midfield this season, and I would like to see her back for at least another year.

As for replacing Summanen and Spence in the starting lineup, it seems like Olga Ahtinen has fallen pretty far out of favor with Robert Vilahamn (for reasons I cannot discern), so I would expect to see Olivia Holdt dropped back into the midfield and another winger started in her place—likely Matilda Vinberg, but Amanda Nildén could be a wildcard pick—and Anna Csiki to make a rare start.

After Matt Beard's shocking sacking in February, this will be the first time we face the Reds under interim manager Amber Whiteley. She will be without Alejandra Bernabe and likely Lianne Kiernan, but breakout star Olivia Smith is available for selection after all. That's bad news for Spurs, who struggled to contain Smith in the reverse fixture.

Speaking of that previous matchup, it was an unfortunate loss off the back of two worldie goals and a late penalty concession. At the same time, both of our goals in the 2-3 home loss were rather fortunate, one of them being an own goal by Taylor Hinds and the other nearly going down as an own goal as well. We certainly signs, so that will be something for Robert Vilahamn to prepare the team to improve heading into Sunday's game.

On a slight positive note, we have seen some signs of life in Spurs Women's attack lately, so let's hope that trend continues. Perhaps Martha Thomas could finally score her first goal of the league campaign?

Previewing PL Matchday 34 — Liverpool

And now for the fixture where the lineup is even more difficult to predict.

Son Heung-min will definitely not feature as he's still out with a foot concern, which Ange Postecoglou described as "day to day" in his pre-match press conference. This means he could be back for the home leg against Bodø/Glimt, but no promises.

We know there will be some rotation, but Postecoglou acknowledged that it's a delicate balance of getting minutes for the players who need them and rests for the players who don't.

Unlike Spurs, Liverpool are out of all the cup competitions already and have full focus on clinching the Premier League title—which they can do with just a draw against us. They also have the benefit of a nearly full squad, with Joe Gomez the only notable absentee with a hamstring injury.

Have you looked at the PL Golden Boot and Golden Playmaker standings lately? Well, Mo Salah is leading both. With a newly signed contract, he must be in top confidence, though his goal and assist production has slowed down in recent weeks.

Club-wise, Liverpool are coming off two straight wins in the league, as opposed to Spurs' two-game loss streak.

I am not going to try to predict our lineup, but will settle for saying that I hope, regardless of who plays, we put in a decent effort and ensure we don't go into the most important game of the season (there's that sentence again...) on low morale.

That's all for today, no major club news to round up—except that Spurs Women season ticket renewals are now open.

COYS

Thank you for reading!

If you’re enjoying the newsletter, make sure to sign up for a free subscription to receive new issues in your inbox. You can also buy me a Ko-fi to support my writing with a one-time tip. Your support keeps Spurs Across the Pond running and is much appreciated!

You can also find me on Bluesky and podcasting at N17 Women and The Tottenham Depot.