English Premier
2010-04-03 - Sunderland vs Tottenham Hotspur
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : England : Premier League
Saturday, 3rd April 2010 - Kickoff 3pm
Sunderland
Sunderland picked up a number of points recently that has pushed them away from the bottom of the table and they are close to securing Premier League football for next season. There is a sense that this team may start to focus on where they are going for their holidays this Summer although Darren Bent should be looking forward to this match more than any other this season.
Steve Bruce's side are 13th in the Premier League and have an 8 point gap to Hull City in the relegation spots. Much of their success comes from their form at the Stadium of Light where they are 7-7-2 this season, scoring 27 goals and conceding 16. Already they have seen Liverpool and Arsenal leave with nothing from this stadium while Manchester City gained a point with a late equaliser last month.
The Black Cats were unbeaten in their last 5 games before a trip to Anfield last week and the 3-0 thumping that followed. They are unbeaten in their last 7 games at the Stadium of Light in the Premier League, although 5 of those ended with the points being shared. Sunderland have won 2 of their last 3 at home.
Andy Reid is the only doubt in the Sunderland squad this week. Darren Bent is almost certain to start against his former club.
Tottenham Hotspur
A lot of people must be wondering when the typical Tottenham Hotspur collapse is going to begin as the race for the top 4 hots up, but those have all been disappointed so far.
Harry Redknapp has got a side that is capable of winning the tough away games now and they also have a FA Cup Semi Final to look forward to. However, with Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United to play following next week, Spurs know they cannot afford to drop points now.
Spurs hold the coveted 4th place at the moment and are 2 points better off than Manchester City after the results of last weekend. They have shown a new side to their team this season and proved to be a tough nut to crack even away from White Hart Lane and they are 6-5-4 in these games. They have scored 22 goals and conceded 19 in those 15 games.
Harry Redknapp has guided his side through a 9 game unbeaten run and they have now won 7 of their last 8 games in all competitions. They have only lost 1 of their last 7 away games in all competitions and have won 2 consecutive games away from White Hart Lane in the Premier League.
Vedran Corluka remains out for Spurs and Ledley King is a doubt. Aaron Lennon is still not quite ready to return but both Jermain Defoe and Jermaine Jenas will be hoping to be available.
Head to Head
Tottenham Hotspur beat Sunderland at home 2-0 earlier this season, but have not had so much success when travelling to the North East of England.
In fact, Sunderland are unbeaten in their last 4 games at home against Spurs, with 2 wins for the Black Cats in those games. Last season the fixture ended 1-1.
Prediction
Sunderland have done well in recent weeks to pick up the points that have pushed them up the table but Steve Bruce is going to have a lot of thinking to do this Summer as to why his team had so many problems during the middle of this season and how to prevent a dramatic slide occurring next season. They remain strong here at the Stadium of Light and should pick up the points to guarantee safety sooner rather than later.
Tottenham Hotspur wont want to slip up in the race for 4th place now, especially with a run of fixtures coming up that are as difficult as possible. They also are carrying some momentum into those games and a defeat would send that the other way.
This is a tougher match to call than what it looks like on first glance. Sunderland have a strong record at home generally and also against Spurs in their recent meetings. Craig Gordon was in very good form when preventing Manchester City from picking up the 3 points from here recently, but I think Tottenham have more options to find a winner in their squad at this current time.
I am going to ignore the price on Tottenham to win as its a little short in my mind and instead I will pick them to win by 1 goal at a bigger price.
This match could end in a draw, there is no doubt in my mind about that, and I can't see Tottenham winning by more than 1 goal so the value seems to lie on that pick- if they win I think it will be by the 1 goal.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Sunderland 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur (1-1 Saver)
BEST BETTING TIP :
Tottenham Hotspur to win by 1 goal at 3.60 (Paddy Power)Consider a Saver 1-1 correct score pick
