English Premier
2011-02-02 - Blackburn Rovers vs Tottenham Hotspur
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football : English Premier League
Wednesday 2 February 2011 - Kickoff 7:45pm
Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers will not be giving new owners Venky's a trophy this season, but Steve Kean has certainly made their decision to sack Sam Allardyce less relevant as they achieve positive results to steer clear of the relegation zone.
Rovers are 8th in the Premier League table and have already secured 31 points in their quest to retain Premier League status for next season. While the long term goal of the owners is for the team to continue challenging higher in the table, initially it has to be top flight football for next season. They are 6-3-3 at Ewood Park this seaosn, scoring 17 goals and conceding just 10. Only 4 teams have conceded less goals at home this season than Blackburn.
The team has now won 3 games in a row at Ewood Park, 2 of those taking place in the Premier League and they conceded just 1 goal in those games. The inconsistency at the club is highlighted by the fact they have 4 wins and 4 losses over their last 8 games in all competitions. Blackburn have now won 6 of their last 8 games at home.
Roque Santa Cruz will have to sit this game out after twisting his knee in the loss at Aston Villa on Saturday. Mauro Formica and Ruben Rochina were both signed yesterday but will have to wait for their debuts until the weekend. Ryan Nelson and Gael Givet are both facing late fitness tests.
Tottenham Hotspur
While some will continue peddling the fact that Harry Redknapp is one of the best wheeler-dealers in the World, I would try to douse those flames by getting those same people to tell me exactly what he is doing. The signing of Steven Pienaar seemed to saturate his midfield options to almost overflowing, yet Redknapp was still making a bid for Charlie Adam last night- that certainly bamboozled me?!! Now Tottenham are facing an injury crisis at the back as they look to maintain a challenge for a Champions League position next season.
The signing of Fernando Torres by Chelsea must have hurt Tottenham as much as anyone as the 5th placed side already trail the Blues by 3 points in the final Champions League place. Results on Tuesday night could see Spurs fall further behind in that chase. The team is 4-3-4 away from home this season, scoring 15 goals and conceding 17 and only Arsenal, Manchester City and Blackpool have won more away games.
Harry Redknapp looked shell-shocked as his Spurs team found themselves 4-0 down at half time with 1 man sent off in the FA Cup defeat at Fulham. That means they have won just 1 of their last 5 games in all competitions, and that was against League One Charlton. Sours have won just 1 of their last 6 away games in all competitions and have lost 2 of the last 3.
Ledley King is in surgery and could be missing some significant time for Spurs, while William Gallas and Younes Kaboul are both out too. Michael Dawson is suspended meaning Jonathan Woodgate could be given a start even with all his fitness concerns. Gareth Bale remains on the sidelines with a back problem and Wilson Palacious is a doubt.
Head to Head
Tottenham have had a good recent history against Blackburn Rovers, winning 4 of the last 5 Premier League meetings between the sides.
However, their 0-2 win here last season was preceded by 4 games without a win at Ewood Park.
Spurs beat Blackburn 4-2 at home earlier this season.
Prediction
I was leaning towards a Blackburn result in this game, but I think a lot of people have begun thinking the same way and the value may just have gone, especially on the Asian Handicaps. The other option I was considering was the chance for goals especially with a Tottenham side that will be forced to attack now that their defence is decimated for this game.
Blackburn have been strong at home and are capable of scoring as they have shown in recent games. Steve Kean has them playing a different brand of football compared with Sam Allardyce and the team obviously feels comfortable in playing in that manner.
Tottenham's defensive problems have been well explored by all coming into the game and they have yet to keep a clean sheet away from home all season. Those defensive issues means Harry Redknapp is liable to fight fire with fire and play an extremely attacking line up to outscore the opponents.
With the likes of Luka Modric, Rafael Van der Vaart, Aaron Lennon and Jermain Defoe in the line up, Spurs can certainly trouble the scoreboard.
With both teams likely to go for the result here, I will back the Over 2.5 Goals option which is surprisingly at odds against in some places.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Blackburn Rovers 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll take the Over 2.5 Goals @ 2.05 (2 UNITS)Follow me on Twitter @DavindaAulak- there is a direct link below
