Prediction: Tottenham vs West Bromwich



Having closed the gap behind leaders Leicester to five points, Tottenham Hotspur will have an extra motivation to defeat West Bromwich and keep their title hopes alive. The Baggies continued the disappointing run by losing to Manchester United, and it remains to be seen whether they can spoil Spurs’ party.

Tottenham

Tottenham Hotspur have endured some tough times of late and they became regarded as perennial underachievers, but they did brilliantly to prove all the doubters wrong this season. In spite of some outstanding showings, Spurs continue to look in the backs of Leicester City, but they continue to hope they will cross the finish line first. Team’s title hopes receive a major boost as the Foxes not only failed to defeat West Ham at home, but also had top scorer Jamie Vardy sent off, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side made sure to capitalise on the mistake, hammering Stoke City 4-0 at the Britannia Stadium to prove they are the league’s in-form side. With games against Chelsea, Southampton and Newcastle United next after the West Bromwich clash, Spurs cannot afford any surprises on Monday evening, but they will not exactly have to be on their best to see off the out-of-sorts Baggies. Three comfortable wins without conceding in last four games are enough to suggest that Tottenham are not showing any signs of slowing down, and they even managed to miss several glorious opportunities in addition to the four goals scored in midweek, so West Brom defenders have every reason to fear the Monday’s game.

Team News

Manager Mauricio Pochettino was fortunate not to have any key men unavailable during the crucial stage of the season and that continues to be the case.

Algerian midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is the only one currently in the infirmary, and it goes without saying there will be no changes to the starting line-up.



West Bromwich

Tony Pulis has ensured the record of never getting relegated from the Premier League remained intact as West Bromwich secured survival with nine games to go, but they have since failed to show any sort of ambition to pick up few more points and finish the season in mid table. The Baggies haven’t changed their style of play, meaning they remained a tough nut to crack and Arsenal were the first team since Southampton back in January to record a comfortable win over West Brom. However, the Baggies have picked up just one point in last five league matches, failing to score in four of those games, and they have every right to feel scared of the trip to White Hart Lane. Tony Pulis has resisted temptation to give some fringe players a chance to shine, which could have been a good idea now that the first team regulars are not exactly performing up to the standard, and the obvious lack of ambition appears to be the biggest issue at the moment. With West Brom winning just one of last 12 Premier League fixtures on the road, things are not looking well ahead of the trip to London.

Team News

There have been no fresh injury worries for manager Tony Pulis, James Morrison and Alex Pritchard are not yet ready to return.

On the other hand, Northern Ireland international Chris Brunt will miss the remainder of the season through a knee ligament injury.

Key Factors to Consider

• Spurs won 5 of last 12 meetings with West Brom (D6 L1)
• Tottenham recorded 10 wins in last 13 Premier League games
• Spurs won five of last six home games in EPL
• West Bromwich lost four of last five league fixtures
• The Baggies only scored one goal in the process

Conclusion

Tottenham have been thoroughly impressive of late and they can be trusted to turn on the style and record another big win to place extra pressure on Leicester City. The Baggies are going through a very rough patch at the moment and we don’t see how they are going to prevent a heavy defeat.

Verdict: Tottenham/Tottenham

Best Odds: 8/11

Bookmaker: bet365