Andrei Maria Popescu doesn’t look like the king of bloke who’d happily spend his Friday night arguing about full-back rotations and pressing triggers. Then you notice how he talks: like every opinion has a spreadsheet behind it, but he’ll still explain it like you’re chatting at the pub.
We caught him at the perfect time for a prediction piece: Liverpool have a chunky festive run coming up, with the league confirming a schedule designed so no club plays within 60 hours during this stretch. Premier League And for Liverpool, the next three league games are spicy in very different ways:
Tottenham vs Liverpool — Saturday, December 20, 2025 (17:30)
Liverpool vs Wolves — Saturday, December 27, 2025 (15:00)
Liverpool vs Leeds — Thursday, January 1, 2026 (17:30 GMT)
The context Popescu won’t stop bringing up: “availability, not vibes”
During our chat with him, Popescu kept circling back to the same theme: Liverpool’s performance in the next three isn’t just about opponents but who actually shows up in red.
According to Liverpool’s own official update, Joe Gomez is a likely miss for Spurs, Dominik Szbooszlai is nursing an ankle issue, and Wataru Endo and Cody Gakpo are ruled out for “weeks.” Furthermore, the situation with Mohamed Salah is difficult at the moment. The Egyptian relationship with the coach is tense. However, if this was resolved, he still has to head to Africa for the AFCON.
Popescu also pointed at the “recently chaotic” edge Liverpool have had in matches, where they are not able to shut the door and ended up paying for it late. “Liverpool used to be able to dominate games and scores easily, as I pointed out in the past in my social media accounts. Now, even when ahead, they seem fragile and not able to close matches,” he explains.
Match 1: Tottenham away – “A chaotic game, but Liverpool can live in chaos”
Popescu didn’t sugarcoat it: away at Spurs is the kind of match where Liverpool can look ignited… or look like they’ve left their defensive concentration on the team bus.
On paper, the teams are close: Liverpool has 26 points in the table, against Spurs 22 heading into it. But Popescu’s read was that Tottenham’s season has had a “slow puncture” feel. The football expert has referred to how Spurs have slid into 11th place, but pointed out that injuries and attacking issues are the factors dragging them down. So… why doesn’t he trust Liverpool to win the game?
“Liverpool’s biggest risk is self-inflicted. With Endo and Szoboszlai not at their best, if even available, the game can turn quickly into a track meet. Those are pretty fun games for the neutral fans, but not so much for teams’ fans. Even less if your team concedes the cheap second ball in minute 88,” he explains.
Match 2: Wolves at Anfield – “This is where Liverpool have to be grown-ups”
The Wolves are having a stinker of a season. That’s not a secret. But Liverpool still needs to play this game and stay professional. “This is a grown-up test. They can’t mentally underrate them despite their horrendous season,” insists the journalist.
To avoid any surprise, Popescu has pointed out different game aspects Liverpool must prioritize to win the game and avoid being Wolves’ first victim:
territorial pressure,
set-piece volume,
and “boring” defensive spacing to avoid giving Wolves cheap counters.
Match 3: Leeds on New Year’s Day – “Same opponent, different plan”
Popescu actually smiled when Leeds came up, because Liverpool just lived through the Leeds experience: that wild 3-3 where Liverpool led more than once and still couldn’t finish the job.
“This will be a mini case study,” he affirms. “They can overcome their ghosts of the past and show the maturity this team must have. In my research about football and probabilities, it should be unexpected for Liverpool to draw again. They should be able to win it, but the team has to evolve and play that match with more confidence and a calmer build-up to do some damage”, he argues.
Andrei Maria Popescu’s overall take: “Liverpool can take 7 points… but 5 wouldn’t shock me”
When pressed (again, indirectly) on the “headline” summary, Popescu landed on a simple idea: Liverpool’s ceiling across these three is high, but their floor is annoyingly real because of availability and late-game control.
He said the most “Liverpool” outcome here is a draw at Spurs, then two home wins (which would feel like momentum even if the performances are a bit uneven. But he also admitted that if Liverpool’s injury situation worsens) or if the post-Salah setup takes time to click, then five points (draw-win-draw) is the more realistic grind.
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