• Heung-Min Son enjoying his work, as always, during the Tottenham training session Getty
    Heung-Min Son enjoying his work, as always, during the Tottenham training session Getty
  • Harry Kane at work ahead of the Liverpool clash. Getty
    Harry Kane at work ahead of the Liverpool clash. Getty
  • Gareth Bale training with a smile. Getty
    Gareth Bale training with a smile. Getty
  • Moussa Sissoko celebrates during training. Getty
    Moussa Sissoko celebrates during training. Getty
  • Matt Doherty takes it all very seriously. Getty
    Matt Doherty takes it all very seriously. Getty
  • Eric Dier prepares for action. Getty
    Eric Dier prepares for action. Getty
  • Heung-Min Son and Carlos Vinicius battle for the ball. Getty
    Heung-Min Son and Carlos Vinicius battle for the ball. Getty
  • Gareth Bale will be hoping for more match time against Liverpool. Getty
    Gareth Bale will be hoping for more match time against Liverpool. Getty

Harry Kane, Gareth Bale and Spurs stars prepare for Mourinho v Klopp round 2 – in pictures


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Tottenham take on Liverpool on Thursday in a crucial game for both sides' aspirations of challenging for the Premier League title.

December's reverse fixture, which Liverpool won 2-1 with a stoppage-time goal, ended in an exchange of words between Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp as one of the biggest current managerial rivalries heated up.

Mourinho told his counterpart that "the best team lost", which did Klopp did not take lying down.

Mourinho has been on the winning side against the German just twice in 12 games – the last coming in a 2-1 win for Manchester United in 2018.

His team prepared for the crunch fixture with a workout at their training ground in London, with Gareth Bale, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and the other Spurs stars put through their paces.

Mourinho has received a lot of criticism this season with his team dropping points from winning positions in home games against Newcastle, West Ham and Fulham.

The Portuguese has always taken a defensive approach against the big teams this season, hitting them on the break, and it paid off with wins against Manchester City and Arsenal, while they drew 0-0 at Chelsea before Frank Lampard hit the speed bump which saw him sacked this week.

It remains to be seen if that is his approach again against the Reds, and whether Gareth Bale, who has played just 45 minutes of Premier League action since early November, follows up his first 90 minutes of the season against Wycombe in the FA Cup with another opportunity.

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Liverpool v Spurs: Round 1

  • Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho during the game. EPA
    Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho during the game. EPA
  • Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the first. EPA
    Mohamed Salah celebrates scoring the first. EPA
  • Jurgen Klopp with striker Roberto Firmino at the final whistle. EPA
    Jurgen Klopp with striker Roberto Firmino at the final whistle. EPA
  • Roberto Firmino celebrates his winning goal. Reuters
    Roberto Firmino celebrates his winning goal. Reuters
  • Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores. Reuters
    Tottenham's Son Heung-min scores. Reuters
  • Tottenham's Son Heung-min after levelling the scores. EPA
    Tottenham's Son Heung-min after levelling the scores. EPA
  • Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris reacts after conceding the first goal. Reuters
    Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris reacts after conceding the first goal. Reuters
  • Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp with Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho. PA
    Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp with Tottenham manager Jose Mourinho. PA
  • Jurgen Klopp shakes hands with Jose Mourinho. AFP
    Jurgen Klopp shakes hands with Jose Mourinho. AFP
  • Tottenham's Jose Mourinho and Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp walk on to the pitch at the end of the game. AP
    Tottenham's Jose Mourinho and Liverpool's manager Jurgen Klopp walk on to the pitch at the end of the game. AP