Liverpool are probably the team to perform best at White Hart Lane so far this season, and were very unlucky to come away with nothing from the game.
They dominated us in terms of possession (65%), shots (17 v 16), but conceded two goals in the opening 20 minutes that proved to be crucial.
Suarez continues to blaze a trail and, rather like Bale for us, could be argued to be dragging Liverpool through matches.
Spurs are likely to continue with Bale behind a front man, but there is a decision to be made as to who that front man may be. A lot will depend on fitness, with Adebayor being stretchered off against Arsenal, and Defoe just back from injury himself, and lacking match practice. Neither forward has scored regularly in 2013, and we are looking for one of them to step up and help us through the next few months as we have unquestionably relied on Bale for goals lately.
Our defence was rightly lauded after the win against Arsenal – and rightly so. Vertonghen, Dawson and goalkeeper Lloris were outstanding in the game, and I would expect all three to start again, and for us to once again play with a high line, despite the risk of doing so against a team with pace (Suarez, Sturridge, Sterling, etc).
Key Battles
Suarez vs Dawson – He was on the list to be moved on after Villas-Boas had assessed the squad, so it is relatively surprising to see Dawson still being so key for us. The fans are delighted though – we have a lot of love for Dawson; a lovely guy, and a whole-hearted and talented defender. He has, however, struggled historically against players with a low centre of gravity and lots of trickery – notably Aguero – and there is a concern that an in-form Suarez could turn him inside out.
Carragher vs Bale
Whoever Bale is up against will need help from his team-mates, but especially if Carragher is selected. The form Bale is in is absolutely devastating – he’s capable of scoring from anywhere, and is also likely to get players booked with his driving runs and exceptional acceleration (rather than simulation, which he was harshly accused of in our match earlier in the season). More importantly, he wins free kicks in dangerous areas, which he then takes himself…
Stats
- – Tottenham are undefeated in their last twelve Premier League matches, winning their last four.
- – Tottenham have scored at least once in 93% of their away matches.
- – 68% of Liverpool’s Premier League matches have had over 2.5 goals scored in total.
- – Suarez (5.8) and Bale (4.8) are first and second in the Premier League in terms of shots per game.
Injury News
Key midfield man, Sandro, is likely out for the rest of the season. Younes Kaboul is on his way back from injury, but not ready. Huddlestone and Dempsey both remain side-lined too. Adebayor must be considered a doubt after being stretchered off against Arsenal, and Defoe is just coming back from a lay-off, so may not be match fit.
Betting
Both teams are scoring freely at the moment, and with Bale and Suarez both in such amazing form, I’d probably be looking at the ‘over 2.5 goals’ market at 1.71 or even ‘over 3.5 goals’ at 2.72. If you fancy better odds, the score draw looks a decent shout to me – 1-1 is 8.4 on Betfair, whilst 2-2 is 15.5. I’d also be tempted to back a sending off, given that Bale and Suarez are both likely to be up against defenders who are distinctly slower than them.
Prediction
I fancy a high-scoring game, and for Tottenham to take something from it (such is our form). I’ll go 2-2, but 1-2 or 2-3 wouldn’t surprise me either.
