English Premier
2012-01-14 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolves
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English Premier League
Saturday 14 January 2012 - Kick Off 3pm
Tottenham Hotspur
This has been a special season so far for Tottenham Hotspur and there is a chance that it could become a truly memorable one if they can steer clear of injuries and keep up the form they have displayed over the last 3 months. Spurs have a big game on the horizon against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium and will not want to drop points going into that one, especially not at White Hart Lane.
A win over Everton on Wednesday night means Tottenham have earned as many points as Manchester United from their first 20 games of the season, and that means they are only 3 points behind Manchester City in the race for the title. Spurs are 8-1-1 at home this season, scoring 20 goals and conceding 8, which means only City have won more games in front of their fans so far.
The team have won 6 of their last 8 games in all competitions since their last loss at the hands of Stoke City. Tottenham have won 5 of their last 6 games at White Hart Lane and they have only conceded 1 goal in those games, that coming in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Ledley King and William Gallas are both out, but Scott Parker could return having missed the game against Everton.
Wolves
Despite the struggles at Molineux this season, Steve Morgan has made it clear that he will not be following the QPR method of removing their manager as they have ultimate faith in Mick McCarthy to keep the side in the Premier League. The future of the where the club wants to be means they need to retain their Premier League status, something they believe they will do with McCarthy at the helm.
Wolves are 16th in the Premier League having picked up 17 points from their first 20 games. That means they are only 1 point clear of Bolton Wanderers in the final relegation spot and only 3 better off than Blackburn Rovers at the bottom of the pile. They have had a hard time away from home where they are 1-3-6 this season, scoring 8 goals and conceding 19.
The team have won just 1 of their last 10 games in all competitions and they have picked up just 3 points from the last 18 available in the League. Wolves have drawn their last 2 away games in the League, although they did lose 6 in a row before that.
Jamie O'Hara will not be fit to play against his former club, but Roger Johnson should be in the side despite coming off in the draw at Birmingham City in the FA Cup last week.
Head to Head
Tottenham Hotspur beat Wolves 0-2 earlier this season at Molineux.
Tottenham have won 2 of their last 3 home games against Wolves at White Hart Lane, the other being a Wolves surprise win.
Prediction
Tottenham are rightly the favourites to win this game, especially on current form, but I think the Asian Handicap and outright prices are plenty short enough and I will look at another market instead.
I like the chances of Spurs reaching at least 3 team goals in this game at a price of evens, especially considering Wolves have conceded at least that many in defeats at Manchester City, Chelsea and Manchester United already this season.
Spurs have managed to score at least 3 goals in 2 of their last 3 home games against Wolves, while they also managed to reach that target at Molineux last season.
If Wolves score 1, then the Asian Handicap may be a little tough to cover as you need a 3 goal win to cover for the full payout. Therefore, I will look for Spurs to give themselves a big boost of confidence by grabbing 3 goals before their trip to Manchester City next week.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Wolves
