History beckons for Liverpool on Saturday evening as they visit Tottenham Hotspur looking to secure the best-ever start in the 131-year history of English top-flight football, report agencies. A 20th victory from their 21st game of the campaign would secure that remarkable feat, but they come up against a familiar foe in Jose Mourinho, who has spoiled the Liverpool party on more than one occasion in the past.
Liverpool have not even conceded a Premier League goal since Everton previously visited Anfield on December 2, keeping five top-flight clean sheets on the bounce having managed only two in their opening 15 games of the season. The numbers behind Liverpool's run are in danger of becoming normalised through overuse, but they are worth repeating again - 28 wins from their last 29 Premier League games, 37 top-flight matches unbeaten stretching back more than a year and 29 consecutive games in which they have scored.
The latter is a streak only two teams in Premier League history can beat and will be particularly concerning for a Spurs side that has only kept one clean sheet from their 12 matches under Mourinho so far. Liverpool's clean sheet record will also be a worry with Spurs missing Harry Kane through injury for the foreseeable future, but few are better at devising tactical plans to keep a Liverpool side at bay than Mourinho.
Spurs do not come into the game in particularly good form, though, winning just one of their last five outings across all competitions including a 1-1 draw at Championship side Middlesbrough in Sunday's FA Cup clash. Spurs have not lost back-to-back league games yet this season, though, while their home form is more encouraging - four wins from five under Mourinho, with the only exception being a 2-0 defeat at the hands of former club Chelsea.
However, those victories did all come in matches they were expected to win, and now they find themselves in danger of failing to win four games on the bounce across all competitions for the first time since November 2016. For Liverpool this match is one of those which would have been earmarked as one of their toughest remaining tests this season, particularly coming as part of a double-header with Manchester United visiting Anfield next week.
Spurs have confirmed that star striker Kane is set for a prolonged spell on the sidelines after tearing his hamstring in the defeat to Southampton on New Year's Day. Such a major blow has been slightly offset by Son Heung-min's return from suspension, although Mourinho hinted after the FA Cup draw with Middlesbrough that he does not see the Korean as a like-for-like replacement up front.
While Kane is Tottenham's headline absentee, he is by no means their only one; Moussa Sissoko has been ruled out for at least three months, Mourinho has cast serious doubt over the fitness of Tanguy Ndombele and Hugo Lloris, Danny Rose and Ben Davies all remain sidelined.
The likes of Erik Lamela, Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks could all come back into the team as a result of the injury problems, while Mourinho must decide whether to field three at the back. Doing so could provide extra protection against Liverpool's marauding full-backs, with Trent Alexander-Arnold (20) and Andrew Robertson (17) having contributed more Premier League assists than any other player since the start of last season.
Klopp is expected to welcome a host of first-teamers back into his starting lineup after they sat out last weekend's FA Cup win, including newly-crowned African Player of the Year Sadio Mane. Liverpool could also be boosted by the returns of some players from injury, with Xherdan Shaqiri, Joel Matip and perhaps even Dejan Lovren set for fitness tests ahead of the trip to North London.
The one downside to the win over Everton was an injury to James Milner which threatens to keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future, adding to Liverpool's midfield shortage with Naby Keita and Fabinho also still unavailable.
