The 3 key battles as Liverpool host Tottenham in the Premier League

Joel Matip vs Harry Kane

Harry Kane is embarking on yet another great season at Tottenham to follow up his Golden Boot-winning exploits last time round.

The England international netted 25 goals last term to help Pochettino’s men finish third in the division – their highest ever finish – and he has already scored 14 this time round in just 19 league starts.

Thus, Liverpool will have to defend extremely well against him, be it in the air or on the ground, as any time and/or space for Kane could spell problems for Klopp’s men.

Fortunately though, the Reds have a defender capable of thwarting Kane in the form of Joel Matip, who made his first league start since December in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea last week.

The Cameroon international has struggled for injury over the past few months, but back-to-back 90 minutes suggests that he’s back to full fitness, and he’ll need to be against Kane.

The England striker is excellent in the air, can hold the ball up, and is deadly from anywhere inside the box, so Matip will have to defend intelligently and aggressively against the Spurs man to keep him quiet.