Verdict: Under 2.5 goals
Best Odds: 13/17
Bookmaker: 888sports
The unlikely Champions League contenders Burnley will lack no confidence ahead of the Saturday’s Premier League showdown with one of the competition’s heavyweights Tottenham, who face a daunting challenge at Turf Moor.
Burnley
Sean Dyche recently said he was the proudest man in Porudsville and it’s not hard to see why. The Premier League minnows have been playing above all expectations and are currently sitting in sixth – one point ahead of their Saturday’s rivals – with a string of impressive results backing their Champions League challenge.
The Clarets are only one point behind Arsenal in fifth and trail Liverpool by two points in the last remaining Champions League spot. Midway through the 2017/18 season, Burnley have already demonstrated they are not here to be pushed around. The string of single-goal wins together with a surprising set of results against Premier League’s biggest clubs – including a 3-2 victory at Chelsea – have been the bedrock of Burnley’s stunning start to the season. Months after their 1-1 stalemate against Tottenham in London, Burnley are out to prove their hard-core nature is not a flash in the pan and that they are a force to be reckoned with.
Team News
Midfielder Robby Brady and forward Jonathan Walters are both suffering from respective knee injuries and will be unavailable for selection.
Goalkeeper Tom Heaton is having a shoulder problem, while the availability of unfit Dean Martin is under doubt. Stephen Ward is also a doubt for the home side.
Tottenham
Just when the stuttering Spurs managed to gain some consistency with a three-match winning run earlier in December along came Manchester City and stomped over Tottenham with a compelling 4-1 victory which revealed all of Mauricio Pochettino’s problems this season.
The Citizens left Tottenham at 21 points behind Pep Guardiola’s league leaders. With their Premier League title hopes dispersed with as much as the halfway to go, Spurs face a daring challenge of lifting their heads up in the race for Champions League football. Just as they seemingly managed to overcome fears of winning under the arch, Spurs have started to stutter on the road – claiming only one point from possible 15 away. To make things worse, defeats to direct rivals Manchester United, Arsenal and Leicester City brought the humbling pinnacle last week and another blow against in-form minnows could have a devastating effect on Tottenham.
Team News
Davinson Sanchez’s return from his three-match suspension is a timely boost for Spurs.
In the meantime, Toby Alderweireld and Victor Wanyama continue to miss out.
Key Factors to Consider
- Burnley lost only one of their last 7 home matches
- Tottenham, on the other hand, won only 1 of their last 7 games on the road
- The Clarets scored mere 16 goals in 18 Premier League matches, but only conceded 12
- There were under 1.5 goals scored in Burnley’s last four matches
- Spurs failed to keep a clean sheet in their last 4 games on the road
Conclusion
Burnley might be struggling in the scoring department but they sure are rock-solid in front of their own goal. Out-of-form Tottenham and Harry Kane will have problems breaching the almost impregnable backline at Turf Moor and we strongly believe this here will be a low-scoring affair.
Verdict: Under 2.5 goals
Best Odds: 13/17
Bookmaker: 888sports
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