Prediction: Tottenham vs Birmingham

21st May 2011

After ending the poor run of result with an impressive win over Liverpool, Tottenham will try to finish the season on a high and secure the fifth place in the standings. Sitting above the relegation zone only on goal difference, Birmingham are in a pretty precarious position and they need to better results of Wigan and Blackpool in the final round in order to avoid the drop.

Harry Redknapp is adamant that this season has been an improvement from the last one even though Spurs failed to achieve another top 4 finish, and he may have a point there considering Tottenham’s impressive performances in the Champions League. The European campaign did take the wind out of their sails going into the crucial stage of the Premiership campaign, but Spurs will, nonetheless, be playing European football next term, albeit in the second best competition. Harry Redknapp’s side managed to end the six-match winless run in the best possible time as they dislodged Liverpool from the fifth place by beating them at Anfield, with the good performance against the Reds set to give the team something to build on before the Birmingham game. The injury situation is finally improving, which should give the hosts an additional boost to end the season with a win. Jenas, Hutton and Assou-Ekotto have all recovered from injuries, while Gomes, King, Huddlestone and Palacios could also play some part, which is great news for all Tottenham fans.

Birmingham have started this season on a wrong foot, having largely struggled to hit the ground running in the first part of the league campaign, but team’s impressive showings in the FA Cup that led to winning the coveted trophy looked to have given the players just the lift they needed to turn the season around. The Blues played a couple of good games following the FA Cup victory over Arsenal, but soon suffered a big din in form that saw them win just one point from last five games. As a result, Alex McLeish’s side sit just above the relegation zone, tied on points with Wigan and Blackpool, meaning that only a victory at White Hart Lane can guarantee them survival. That doesn’t look like happening, however, as the Blues are completely out of form and are still missing several important players, so I am not really sure Brum can escape the drop. Bowyer, Jiranek and Parnaby remain injury doubts, while Bentley, Dann, Zigic, Martins, Hleb, McFadden, Taylor and Valles are all unavailable.

Conclusion

Having restores some of the lost confidence with an impressive win at Anfield, Tottenham are expected to rediscover their home form and possibly send Birmingham into the Championship. Brum are all over the place at the moment and are missing a host of first team regulars, which is why I don’t think they can get something from this game.

Verdict: Home win Tottenham (1)

Best Odds: 8/15

Bookmaker: Paddy Power