Tottenham Hotspur will seek to take advantage of their rivals’ FA Cup distractions this weekend by gaining ground in the race for Champions League football with a rare victory at Liverpool.
With league leaders Manchester United, second-placed champions Manchester City and fourth-placed Chelsea in cup action and fifth-placed Arsenal’s next league game not until March 16, Spurs can go two points behind the runners-up spot.
Andre Villas-Boas’s side, in buoyant mood after a 2-1 victory over rivals Arsenal in last weekend’s north London derby and the 3-0 thumping of Inter in the Europa League, have 54 points from 28 games with City on 59 and United leading the way with 71.
Spurs mean business having lost out on a Champions League place last season when fourth place was unusually not enough because Chelsea, who finished sixth, took the last of England’s four places by winning Europe’s elite club competition.
The fact Tottenham missed out on third spot to Arsenal also stung after they looked certain of a top-three finish for much of the season before a late collapse.
Tomorrow, Spurs face a challenge to take the points away from Anfield, having won there only twice in the Premier League.
Seventh-placed Liverpool should have striker Daniel Sturridge back from a thigh injury as they seek to jump above city rivals Everton and close within two points of Arsenal.
The top teams are not the only FA Cup quarter-finalists who could lose out in terms of their league position this weekend with Wigan poised to be dragged into the relegation zone while their backs are turned.
Hovering just above the bottom three on goal difference with 24 points from 28 games, Wigan will be overtaken by either 18th-placed Aston Villa or Reading, who are 19th, after the pair meet at the Madejski stadium today.
Reading, who last term earned promotion thanks to a strong second half of the season, believe they are far from certain to go down.
“Last year we had to make up about 15 or 16 points,” their manager Brian McDermott told reporters.
“I just said to the players, ‘Can we make up one or two?... they all said yes’.”
Bottom side QPR, who have 20 points and made up ground on their rivals with a 2-1 victory at lowly Southampton last weekend, host Sunderland who, with 30 points, are in danger of becoming sucked into the relegation battle.