How Tottenham can lose to Liverpool and still finish in the top half of the Premier League table

Tottenham Hotspur finishing in the top half of the table this season would seem like a flight of fancy.

have been atrocious for much of the campaign, falling to 18 defeats in their 33 games so far. With just five games of the season to play, the Lilywhites are languishing in 16th place on just 37 points.

One more defeat and they will equal their worst-ever losing performance in a 38-game season - they lost 19 out of 38 in the 2003/04 campaign.

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Given the positions and the form of the two teams, it is likely that 19th defeat will come at the weekend as make the trip to Anfield for a game that will see Liverpool crowned champions should the Reds secure anything from the game.

And another defeat would make finishing higher in the league particularly more difficult for 's .

However, there is a way Spurs can lose against Liverpool on Sunday and still get into the top half of the table come the end of the season, which would be something of an incredible feat given where they currently sit.

But that requires a lot of results to go in their favour.

The three teams directly above Spurs are just a point ahead of them. Wolves, Manchester United and Everton all sit on 38 points, meaning it would not be too difficult for Tottenham to move up to 13th place.

However, getting any higher does become tough.

Crystal Palace are 12th on 45 points - eight clear of Spurs currently. Brentford sit 11th on 48 points, with Brighton & Hove Albion in 10th, also on 48 points.

If Spurs are to lose to Liverpool, as expected, they could only get as many as 49 points this season, with four other matches left - against West Ham, Palace, Aston Villa and Brighton.

To overhaul those above them and finish 10th, Spurs would need to win their other four games, with Wolves, United and Everton only managing 11 points from their final five games - not unrealistic given the trio's form this season and Ruben Amorim's admission in particular that he will be prioritising the Europa League above domestic fixtures.

Palace would also need to only get a maximum of four points from their final four games - again not unrealistic given one is against Spurs and we need Tottenham to pick up all three points from that encounter.

What also needs to happen though, is perhaps more unrealistic. Or at least as unrealistic as Tottenham managing to string four straight wins together!

Brentford can only amass three points from their five games against Nottingham Forest, Manchester United, Ipswich Town, Fulham and Wolves, while Brighton or Fulham can only get one point from their final five games.

Brighton play West Ham, Newcastle, Wolves and Liverpool before Tottenham on the final day, while Fulham face Southampton, Aston Villa, Everton, Brentford and Manchester City.

It does not seem possible, particularly given Spurs need to win four of their last five games, but if it does happen, it would not be the worst season for Postecoglou after all.