Red Star Belgrade v Spurs: Tottenham seek Champions League Solace

red star belgradeAfter a difficult weekend, Spurs need to pick themselves up and get their Champions League campaign back on track. A 5-0 hammering of Red Star Belgrade last time out puts us in pole position to progress behind Bayern Munich but that positive result needs to be backed up by another win on Wednesday.

The Serbian side offered little at the new White Hart Lane two weeks ago but what are the chances of a repeat performance?

Date: November 6, 2019

Team News

As we’re compiling this preview early on Monday morning, there are few updates following the Everton match. So far, there is no further news on Harry Kane who missed the trip to Goodison because of an unspecified illness so that could leave problems up front. Son Heung-Min scored twice in the first game against Red Star and is the obvious option to cover but he needs to be in the right frame of mind following that sending off.

Sonny’s suspension only applies to the Premier League so he is available but Jan Vertonghen is likely to miss out with a hamstring issue and he joins long term absentee Hugo Lloris on the sidelines. The other doubt concerns Erik Lamela and once again, we can find no specific updates on the player at this time.

Match Odds

Two of our tips came in for Sunday’s game at Everton and while we would have preferred an away win, it’s a decent return which we’ll look to build on now.

Spurs start as hot favourites despite conceding the home advantage and you can pick us up at best industry odds of 4/6 with Coral and VBet. The draw is quoted at a top price of 33/10 with Unibet while the same bookmaker has the best numbers on the draw at 9/2.

Much may depend on the availability of Harry Kane who has enjoyed a productive European campaign so far but based on the qualities of the two sides, it is hard to argue with this market.

Other Side Bets

harry kane

Harry Kane

Before committing to a bet on the result, we should look at the players who can make the difference in this game. Harry Kane starts as favourite to score the first goal at best odds of 29/10 with Unibet and 888Sport but you should certainly check the news to see if the striker returns to the squad.

Son Heung-Min is next at a top price of 5/1 with Unibet and 888Sport once again and he’s followed closely by Lucas Moura at a best of 11/2 with BetFred and Black Type. Dele Alli was on the mark at Goodison to make it two goals in three matches and he can be claimed at 15/2 with Unibet and BetFred and then we come to Red Star’s first representative – Richmond Boakye – at 8/1 with 10Bet and Coral.

Possible outside punts for Spurs might include Tanguy Ndombele at best odds of 17/1 with Unibet and 888Sport or maybe even Eric Dier at 24/1 with the same two bookmakers.

Moving on to our regular set of side bets and you can claim Both Teams to Score at a top price of 4/6 with SportNation and RedZone. That may look a little short if you recall Red Star’s performance two weeks ago but at home, it could be worth a punt this time.

Over 2.5 goals is available at a best of 11/17 with SportNation but if you want to push that further and go above 3.5, Black Type are quoting 7/5.

Finally in this section, if you’re feeling supremely confident about this match, a Correct Score bet of Red Star Belgrade 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3 can be claimed at a top price of 49/4 with 10Bet.

Dangerman

In the earlier game between these two sides we talked up the threat from Red Star’s Richmond Boakye. The Ghanaian international striker was under an injury cloud at the time and didn’t make the cut but two weeks on, he’s expected to start.

Boakye returned to training at the end of last month and at the weekend, he came off the bench to score in his side’s 2-0 league win over Proleter. With more than 50 goals for the Serbian club, Boakye is averaging at better than a goal every other game and it’s certain that Spurs will have had the player watched.

Head to Head

tottenhamThere’s just one small update to make in this section. Following our 5-0 win last time out, the overall tally stands at three games played, two victories to Spurs and one to Red Star Belgrade.

We’ve only been drawn together once before – back in the 1972/73 UEFA Cup – and the obvious aim is to avoid our opponents pulling level in terms of those overall results.

Verdict

We’re not entirely sure why we have such a positive feeling about Wednesday’s match. There was nothing in the Everton game to suggest that the club is about to turn things around and the gap of ten points between us and the top four places is starting to become more than a concern.

But the gulf between these two teams was underlined in the first game and while an away trip to Belgrade won’t be quite as comfortable, Spurs should have more than enough to get over the line here.

We’d be happier if we knew that Harry Kane was starting although Sonny is an able deputy if he can switch on following his obvious distress on Sunday. Meanwhile, we’re tipping Lucas Moura to get on the scoresheet but will settle for the safer Anytime Goal pick.

Both Teams to Score looks more plausible this time but if you feel that the odds of 4/6 are just too short, why not look for a small wager on the 3-1 winning scoreline.

Best Bets:

  • Lucas Moura to score any time at 9/5 with Coral
  • Both Teams to Score at 4/6 with SportNation
  • Correct Score of Red Star Belgrade 1 Tottenham Hotspur 3 at 49/4 with 10Bet

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