12 Jun 2019
One point from a possible 15 has seen Tottenham fall from Premier League title contenders to also-rans and the north London side are in danger of dropping out of the Champions League places.
Following Arsenal’s 2-0 win over Newcastle on Monday, the Gunners are now comfortably in third place, two points ahead of Tottenham, who are level on points with fifth-placed Manchester United and just a point ahead of Chelsea in sixth.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side had every chance of winning at Anfield on Sunday, but a terrible goalkeeping error from Hugo Lloris enabled Liverpool to sneak an added-time winner, and hand Spurs a fourth defeat in five.
While they still have the possibility of making the Champions League next season by winning Europe’s premier club trophy this term, they will have to beat Manchester City in a two-legged quarter-final first.
They also have to travel to the Etihad before the Premier League season’s conclusion –indeed, they face the Champions three times in 10 days – and have an awkward run-in with games against West Ham (H), Bournemouth (A) and Everton (H).
However, five of their remaining seven league games are at home and Spurs are still 8/13 to finish in the top four. That will look a bit of value to many, as there will no doubt be plenty of excitement generated by moving into their new stadium.
Crystal Palace are the first visitors to the impressive new structure, known for now at least, as the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The new era for the Lilywhites at the 62,062-seater stadium begins with the visit of Roy Hodgson’s side, who would like nothing more than to spoil the party and secure their Premier League status for another year.
Palace knocked Tottenham out of the FA Cup with a 2-0 victory at Selhurst Park in January, and the Eagles have lost just two of their last eight league games since – at Manchester United and at home to Brighton.
While they suffered an FA Cup quarter-final exit at the hands of Watford a couple of weeks ago, they bounced back after the international break to beat Huddersfield Town 2-0 at the weekend.
As the Eagles seek a third consecutive away win – something they last achieved in August 2015 – the Genting Casino Premier League football odds for Palace to triumph are 11/2.
Tottenham are 4/9 to win, while the draw is on offer at 15/4.
TEAM NEWS
Palace are expected to field almost a full-strength team, with Mamadou Sakho being the only absentee.
Tottenham’s Harry Winks and Eric Dier both missed the trip to Anfield on Sunday and face a race against time to be fit for Wednesday’s clash.
Dele Alli looked near peak fitness against Liverpool and it was great to see the England star in good form again, his link-up play with Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane had been missed during Spurs’ rocky patch when he was sidelined. Alli is 13/8 to score at any time and 5/1 to score the first goal against Crystal Palace.
OPENING NIGHT FRIGHT?
Tottenham have a great record against Palace. They have won each of the last seven Premier League clashes, with Palace’s two victories in that span both coming in the FA Cup.
You have to go back to November 1997 for Palace’s last league win at Tottenham, with Neil Shipperley’s only goal proving enough.
Six of those seven Spurs wins have come by a 1-0 scoreline and it is 13/2 for this to be the case again.
Goals are usually in short supply when these two meet and since Palace’s last win at White Hart Lane, there have been 17 meetings, with just five producing three total goals or more. It is 23/20 that there will be under 2.5 goals scored this time.
It is therefore no surprise that 12 of the last 14 clashes has seen one or other side fail to score and some may see value in following that trend, as it is 10/11 that this will be the case again.
Palace have failed to win at Tottenham in their last six visits and have failed to score in their last five (D2 L4), yet it is 23/20 that Spurs keep a clean sheet again and 7/5 that they win to nil.
While Mauricio Pochettino will expect a display befitting the occasion, Palace’s away form has been better than their results at Selhurst Park, where they have won just four times this season. After relegating Huddersfield Town, the Eagles sit in 13th place, eight points clear of the relegation places, with seven games remaining.
Palace will do well to hold on to players such as Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Wilfried Zaha this summer. Zaha would likely be a target for Spurs if funds were available and the Palace winger seeks a fourth consecutive away goal for Palace, something that no Palace has achieved in the Premier League era. Zaha is 16/5 to score at any time.
With Tottenham thus far failing to lift a trophy under Pochettino and a lack of investment in the team last year, it will be imperative that they get Champions League football next season.
Their new stadium cost almost double the predicted total and they also need to fill it on a regular basis. If results don’t go their way, players such as Alli, Kane and Eriksen may have to be moved on, even if they wish to remain, simply to balance the books.
A shiny new stadium is not going to be enough to attract top-quality players who want the prospect of at least competing for silverware on a regular basis.
However, they will hope that they can carry on where they left off, as they won their last 14 games at White Hart Lane and were unbeaten in their last 19 at home prior to moving to Wembley Stadium (W17 D2).
An early goal would settle any nerves and Harry Kane has scored 59 Premier League goals at home, one shy of Jermain Defoe’s 60. The England captain is 12/5 to score the first goal and 4/6 to score at any time. The Genting Casino Premier League odds have Spurs at Evens to lead at half-time, but they are 6/5 to lead at half-time and full-time.
For all the odds on this vital Premier League game, click here.
