English Premier
2009-05-16 - Tottenham vs Manchester City
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
Football: England, Premier League
Saturday, 16th May 2009 - Kickoff 15:00
Tottenham (8th - Home Rec : 9-5-4 19:9)
Tottenham have been in very good defensive form over the last three months - and that fact was backed up last weekend with a very solid effort in earning a point in a 0-0 draw at Goodision Park against Everton.
At home, Spurs have been much the same at White Hart Lane, keeping six clean sheets in a row, and winning the last five games.
With a home goal difference of just 19:9, White Hart Lane has been a pretty barren place for strikers, with Spurs having the best home defensive record in the league, and also the worst home attacking record in the top half of the table.
Still, Spurs fans won't mind that as Harry Redknapp's safety concious brand of football, has moved Spurs up the table, well away from mid-season relegation fears and challenging for a Europa League spot.
Man City (10th - Away Rec : 2-5-11 17:30)
Manchester City's recent away form looks pretty poor, but a quick look at the opponents shows trips to Man Utd, Livepool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Everton and frankly most sides would struggle to pick up points with that schedule.
My ratings system actually has City improving their rating over that priod of six games, as although City have lost most of the games, they have kept the score closer than was projected.
However, it is true that City have won just twice in the Premier League on the road all season, compared to twelve wins at home, and the knock on Mark Hughes men is that they travel poorly.
Head to Head
The scoreline in this fixture has been pretty consistant over the last few seasons, with Spurs winning on each of the last four occasions by the same 2-1 score.
Spurs also won the reverse fixture this season at the City of Manchester Stadium by a (you guessed it) 2-1 score, and prior to that City won 2-1 at home.
The Betting Verdict
There are plenty of pointers to a Spurs victory in this one, as Tottenham appear to still be playing well under Redknapp, and it seems that Spurs are chasing a Europa League place quite hard.
Exact score punters will be torn between the 1-0 scoreline that Spurs seem to be grinding out recently, and the 2-1 scoreline that seems to be a fairly frequent result between the two clubs.
I always prefer recent form to historical h2h form and so will plump for the 1-0 home win.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Tottenham 1-0 Manchester City (or 2-1)
BEST BETTING TIP :
I'll take TOTTENHAM to win.Consider a correct score punt which could pay a nice dividend:
1-0 pays 7.50 (13/2) at Paddy Power
2-1 pays 8.50 (15/2) at Bet365
