Liverpool vs. Spurs this weekend should be an intriguing clash. The north and south duo have spent much of the Premier League era in different areas of the table, but the gap between the two has closed dramatically over the past few years to the point that the Lilywhites are now, arguably, just ahead of the Reds in terms of overall quality.

As is expected, matches between the two are pretty close-run affairs nowadays. Indeed, the last three league meetings between the clubs have ended in draws, with Liverpool’s 9-0 aggregate battering of the Londoners during the 2013/14 season a massive outlier.

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Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino both favour high-tempo, intense football with much of their play coming thorough the centre of the pitch, so it’s intriguing to think about which players from either side of the divide would function well for their rivals.

With that in mind we put the question to Spurs fans ahead of the match – our Fixture in Focus at Football FanCast – and the results are now in. Interestingly, the likes of Roberto Firmino and Jordan Henderson were overlooked…

3) Adam Lallana

As Pochettino was bedding in as Southampton boss during 2013, Lallana was heading out of the door to join Liverpool. The pair only worked together for a matter of months and given the midfielder’s ability to press, his technique on the ball and his energy, we think he would fit well in the Argentine’s Spurs team - as do our readers.

The Englishman has really thrived under Klopp this term in a new, deeper central role, which has taken away the emphasis to finish moves and more towards linking between midfield and attack. Interestingly, this has allowed him to put in his most prolific season to date at Anfield, with his seven goals and seven assists in the league making him the club’s most potent player in terms of directly contributing to the ball hitting the back of the net.

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2) Philippe Coutinho

Even though Coutinho is widely hailed as the best player in Liverpool’s ranks, he’s come in at number two in this poll. The Brazilian is a real magician on the ball and one of an elite band of players on his day in the Premier League. But he can be inconsistent and during his poor spells of form, wayward shots from distance are a frustratingly common occurrence - which is perhaps by Lilywhite supporters have opted to vote the following man in at number one on their hit-list…

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1) Sadio Mane

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And top of the list is Mane, who has been staggeringly good since his summer move from Southampton to Liverpool. Interestingly, Spurs lack pace out wide, which is perhaps why Lilywhites fans are looking over towards Anfield slightly enviously.

The Senegal star is not all about speed, though. He’s got a good goalscoring record since his arrival in England and is the Reds’ leading league goal-getter, even though he missed the bulk of January due to his AFCON responsibilities - which says a lot about his ability and importance to Klopp’s side.

CLICK THROUGH TO REVEAL THE FULL LIST OF RESULTS

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Results…

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