Prediction: Tottenham vs Sunderland

8th November 2010

The defeat to Bolton should have served as a real wake-up call for Tottenham players following their impressive victory over Inter, so Spurs are aware they need to take this game very seriously in order to get all three points. Sunderland, on the other hand, needed a helping hand from referee Martin Atkinson to beat Stoke but the game at White Hart Lane will be a real test for Steve Bruce’s side.

Much has been said of Tottenham’s impressive display against the Champions League winners but everything was quickly forgotten after Spurs were hammered by Bolton last weekend. The game at Reebok Stadium proved Harry Redknapp’s injury-depleted squad are not big enough to cope with the busy schedule, although the players were clearly worn out both physically and emotionally after such a big victory and that was another reason for the under-par performance. Tottenham now need to beat Sunderland or risk slipping further down the Premiership standings, so we can surely expect Spurs to go all guns blazing at the Black Cats from the very start of the game. The hosts will again be missing some first team regulars, but seeing their replacements are also high-quality players, Spurs have got to be considered favourites in this clash. Rafael van der Vaart has an outside chance of featuring against Sunderland, but Jermain Defoe, Aaron Lennon, Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate, Michael Dawson and Jamie O’Hara remain in the infirmary.

Sunderland have also been pretty inconsistent this season, which is not too surprising considering the Black Cats have made quite a few changes to their playing squad over the summer. Considering the circumstances, Steve Bruce’s team have done pretty well so far, although their results seem to be much better than the performances. Their form also seem to be on the downtrend, with the 5:1 defeat at St James Park accompanied by the very lucky victory over Stoke, which came as a courtesy of Asamoah Gyan’s brace. Steve Bruce will need the Ghanian firing on all cylinders now when Darren Bent is sidelined with injury, although I don’t think Gyan will be given a lot of space at White Hart Lane. John Mensah, David Meyler and Frazier Campbell are also unavailable for this clash, which only adds to the worries. Sunderland have only brought three points from the travels this season and the record is unlikely to be improved after this game.

Conclusion

While Tottenham continue to struggle with the busy schedule, they still have too much quality not to beat poor travelers that are Sunderland, with the Bolton defeat probably the best thing that could have happened to them. Now Spurs know they have to take every single game seriously if they are to fulfill their potential and I don’t think Sunderland will be able to survive White Hart Lane.

Verdict: Home win Tottenham (1)

Best Odds: 8/13

Bookmaker: Paddy Power