Premier League leaders Tottenham face champions Liverpool at Anfield on Wednesday with Spurs above Jurgen Klopp's side on goal difference; Mourinho on Liverpool's injuries: "Where are the injuries? There are normal injuries. Every club now and again has injuries"
Wednesday 16 December 2020 20:54, UK
Tottenham head coach Jose Mourinho has questioned whether Liverpool have an injury crisis ahead of their top-of-the-table clash at Anfield on Wednesday.
The champions have a number of first-team players injured, including Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Diogo Jota and Thiago Alcantara, while defender Joel Matip remains a doubt for Wednesday's game.
But Mourinho believes Matip will play at Anfield and that Van Dijk is the only key absentee, with Xherdan Shaqiri and James Milner also sidelined through injury.
Asked about Liverpool's injury list and the team he is expecting to face, Mourinho replied: "I think Alisson is not injured. [Trent] Alexander-Arnold is not injured. Matip, I believe that he is going to play. Fabinho is not injured. [Andrew] Robertson is not injured. [Jordan] Henderson is not injured. [Georginio] Wijnaldum is not injured. [Mohamed] Salah is not injured. [Roberto] Firmino is not injured. [Sadio] Mane is not injured. Van Dijk is injured, and Van Dijk is a very good player, of course.
"But give me Liverpool's list of injuries and compare that list of injuries with what is the best Liverpool team.
"I can give you a list of injuries at Tottenham. We have two kids of the under-16s with injuries, we have two others in the under-21s and we have three in the under-23s. We have [Erik] Lamela and [Japhet] Tanganga, and here you have a list of players.
"But is [Hugo] Lloris injured? No. [Toby] Alderweireld injured? No. [Eric] Dier injured? No. [Sergio] Reguilon injured? No. Harry Kane injured? No. [Heung-Min] Son injured? No. Lucas [Moura] injured? No.
"So where are the injuries? There are normal injuries, it's normal. James Milner is injured, Lamela is injured, and every club now and again has injuries. Liverpool has a big injury, which is Van Dijk."
Mourinho's main injury concern ahead of Wednesday's game remains Gareth Bale after he missed Tottenham's 1-1 draw at Crystal Palace on Sunday through illness.
But the Welshman now looks likely to miss a second successive game.
Asked if Gareth Bale is fit for Wednesday, Mourinho said: "In this moment, I would say no.
"We still have a training session this afternoon. Yesterday he didn't train with the team, he trained inside and not even outside.
"But let's wait for feelings and let's see the training session at three o'clock."
Leaders Tottenham are above Liverpool on goal difference and a win on Merseyside would guarantee they will remain top of the league.
Mourinho insists they will go to Anfield looking for victory despite Tottenham's poor record at the ground, where they have won just two of their 28 Premier League matches.
"It's a game where we don't change our philosophy," Mourinho said. "We don't change our wishes. We want to win.
"We go there to try to win the match - it's the way we think this season. It's not about being top of the league or not, it's nothing, it's just about we go there and we try to win.
"We don't want to make any statements - we just want to play the game and win it. If we don't win it and the responsibility of that is Liverpool's responsibility, then great.
"If it's our responsibility, we are not able to perform well, then it would be a worse feeling of course. But we are not there to make any kind of statement.
"But I don't hide that we go there and our objective is to win."
