Prediction: Birmingham vs Tottenham

3rd December 2010

Having made it to the Carling Cup semi-finals in midweek by beating bitter rivals Aston Villa, the Blues now hope to keep up the rich vein of form and escape further away from the dangerous zone with three points from this match. That doesn’t look like an easy task seeing they will have high-flying Tottenham on the other side, with Spurs in great spirits following the injury time victory over Liverpool.

Taking into account their solid showings from last season as well as the summer arrivals, Birmingham had been expected to play a major role in this year’s Premiership campaign, but the poor start has cost the Blues dearly and they are now much closer to the relegation zone than the European places. Alex McLeish’s side cannot seem to hit the ground running even though their latest results would suggest otherwise, with Brum unbeaten in their last four games. Birmingham eliminated local rivals Aston Villa to reach the Carling Cup semi-finals, but the victory was spoiled by fan trouble after the match and it took some of the excitement away from the players. The Blues will not have a lot of time to ponder on what happened on Wednesday seeing they play host to in-form Tottenham just three days later, and the Birmingham players could feel the effect of the draining match with Aston Villa when they face Spurs on Saturday. Alex McLeish should be able to choose from a nearly full squad after Craig Gardner has returned to contention, but there are major doubts over the fitness of Alexander Hleb.

Tottenham needed some time to adapt to the busy schedule they have encountered this season due to commitments in the Champions League, but after learning to cope with all the troubles, Spurs are now exceeding expectations in both major competitions. The team showed a real character by winning derby games against Arsenal and Liverpool after coming from behind, whereas they made it to the Champions League knockout stages easier than anyone expected. The confidence is sky high at White Hart Lane following four straight victories and that makes for a perfect setting for yet another success on the road. Having already beaten sides like Stoke, Fulham and Arsenal on the travels, Spurs have got to be considered favourites in this match even if they are missing quite a few first team players. Younes Kaboul is the latest player to have joined the infirmary which already included van der Vaart, Huddlestone, Jenas, Keane, Bentley, O’Hara, King and Woodgate. However, after quite a while Harry Redknapp will welcome Michael Dawson to the side and that will be a big boost for Spurs.

Conclusion

There is no doubt Tottenham are in better form than their opponents, with Spurs showing massive improvement from their performances at the start of the season. Birmingham are playing below expectations and having had just three days to prepare for this clash, it is highly unlikely they’ll be able to stop pretty impressive Spurs.

Verdict: Away win Tottenham (2)

Best Odds: 6/5

Bookmaker: Paddy Power