Spurs v Burnley: Time to Uncork the Clarets
Last week’s defeat on the road ended a tough run of games and Spurs now enter a period of must-win matches. Starting with Burnley on Sunday, the fixture list has been a little kinder but, at the same time, there will be no excuses for poor displays over the next few weeks.
Somehow, there is a small feeling of optimism following the win over Wolfsberger on Wednesday night. The opposition were weak but the contributions from Dele Alli and Gareth Bale offered a welcome lift. Will both men start against the Clarets? Probably not but let’s see what we can make of this game anyway.
Team News
Dele and Bale offer the big question marks as we go into Sunday’s 2pm kick off. When Bale was left on the bench, most observers, including the BT Sport commentators, saw that as a sign that he would definitely start on Sunday. Bale’s entry to the game put that theory into some doubt but, as his form improves, he must be harder for Jose to ignore.
The same goes for Dele whose goal and two assists indicates what he is capable of. As starters or impact subs, both men could have a big say in Sunday’s game.
Elsewhere, reports confirm that Giovani Lo Celso is back in training and that he’s aiming to be ready in time for the North London Derby next month. Otherwise, subject to any confirmation during the manager’s press conference, we look to have a clean bill of health.
Match Odds
With Burnley struggling for form, Tottenham are favourites for the points in this match and you can currently back the home win at 4/7 with Betway. The draw follows at 3/1 with BetFred and Novibet while victory for the Clarets is on offer at 6/1 with VBet.
Burnley have won just once in their last five matches with a win away to Crystal Palace the only real highlight of their recent run. Sean Dyche’s side also lost to Bournemouth in the FA Cup while drawing against fellow strugglers West Brom, Fulham and Brighton.
Of course, we have our own run of league defeats clouding the form book but with a stronger squad and whatever benefit home advantage provides at the moment, we are obvious favourites.
Side Markets
Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min were left on the bench on Wednesday night so both should be fresh and ready to start on Sunday. Kane is favourite to open the scoring at best odds of 14/5 with Unibet while Son is on offer at a top price of 21/5 with Unibet once again. In between the two is Carlos Vinicius at a best of 4/1 with BetFred while Gareth Bale is out at a best of 11/2 with Betway.
Other options from within the Spurs camp include Dele Alli at 8/1 with Unibet, Lucas Moura at 8/1 with 10Bet and Erik Lamela at 19/2 with Unibet. Meanwhile, Burnley’s first representative is Chris Wood who is quoted at 8/1 with Unibet.
Moving away from player bets, we move on to Both Teams to Score which is available this week at best odds of 19/20 with GentingBet and SportNation. Burnley drew 0-0 with West Brom last week but voting ‘no’ on BTTS is also under the Even Money mark at 4/5 with GentingBet again.
Total Goals betting sees odds of 6/7 from VBet for anyone looking to go Over the 2.5 line. Pushing that a little further will see the numbers climb to 9/4 from SportNation and RedZone to go Above 3.5.
Our feeling is that it could be a low scorer and, with that in mind, it could be time to consider going Under the 2.5 goal line to claim 39/40 with VBet.
That leaves us with our regular Correct Score suggestions and a final outcome of Spurs 2 Burnley 0 is quoted at 13/2 with BetFred. Alternatively, anyone who feels that our losing league run will continue could take a look at a 1-0 away win at 57/4 with Novibet.
Last Season
Last season’s corresponding fixture was arguably the biggest highlight of a mixed campaign. The final scoreline was Tottenham 5 Burnley 0 and Son Heung-Min’s run and finish from the edge of his own penalty area ultimately provided the goal of the season.
Around Sonny’s strike, Harry Kane produced a stunner of his own which would have stood out in any other game. Lucas Moura’s ninth minute effort helped us go into the break with a 3-0 lead and second half goals from Kane and Moussa Sissoko completed the rout.
A repeat would obviously be nice but, more realistically, we would settle for a narrow home win and a rare three points.
Verdict
While we shouldn’t read too much into Wednesday night’s 4-0 win over Wolfsberger, the lift that an in-form and confident Dele Alli gave to the team was a welcome sight. Add in Gareth Bale, who stood out when he came on in the second half, and it simply shows what exceptional players can do when they are at their best.
If we knew that Dele and Bale were starting this game, behind Kane and Son, we’d be far more confident. Furthermore, imagine how Burnley would be feeling with those four included from the first whistle.
Anyway, we will see: That’s something of a moan and a hint that we’re not really sure what’s driving the manager’s team selection in the league right now. At the very least, we should have a strong bench with Kane and Son starting the game and that should be enough.
In terms of confirmed tips, we’ll look for Bale to score at any time in 90 minutes. He’s showing glimpses of his brilliant best and looks set to continue his current scoring form as long as he gets enough minutes.
We don’t, however, expect too many goals based on what’s been happening in the league recently. A performance similar to the win over West Brom would do nicely so we’ll finish with Under 2.5 goals and a ‘no’ on Both Teams to score. A narrow victory would do the job after a mixed week.
Best Bets:
- Under 2.5 goals at 39/40 with VBet
- Gareth Bale to score at any time in 90 minutes at 2/1 with 10Bet
- Both Teams to Score – Bet ‘no’ at 4/5 with GentingBet