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Tottenham v Sunderland Prediction
Tottenham v Sunderland Prediction and correct score bets:Sunday, 18 December 2011
Barclays Premier League
Tottenham v Sunderland, 15:00
Author: Thomas Rooney 15/12/2011
A fascinating game takes place at White Hart Lane this weekend with Tottenham hoping to get back to winning ways against a Sunderland side that has been lifted by the arrival of Martin O’Neill.
Referring to Spurs to begin with, their excellent winning run came to an end last time out against Stoke City and it is fair to say that they didn’t enjoy it one bit.
They had experienced the winning feeling for six games in succession before the visit to the Britannia Stadium and will want to get it back straight away.
The players and coaching staff endured a frustrating afternoon overall. They felt key decisions went against them and generally felt a little hard done by having come away from the game with nothing to show for their efforts.
However, a good side has to put these types of games behind them as quickly as possible and move on. It has been said many times before, but you won’t win anything if you fail to come back from a defeat positively.
Harry Redknapp’s men certainly have the chance to do that this weekend. They love playing in front of their home fans at the moment and the feeling is mutual from the Spurs faithful.
How can you not enjoy the way Tottenham play? They have an excellent flair about them and there are a number of players – including Gareth Bale and Luka Modric – who create a buzz around the place when the ball is at their feet.
Looking at their home record overall this year, they have suffered one blemish – a 5-1 hammering to Manchester City back in August – but they have won every other game at White Hart Lane, scoring 15 goals in the process.
As for Sunderland, well it was a huge relief for them to start the O’Neill era with a win against Blackburn last weekend.
Regardless of whether they have a new manager or not, it was a must win game for them as both teams are in touch with the relegation zone as things stand. The fact that it was O’Neill’s first game made it even more crucial though.
Defeat at home to Blackburn Rovers – who have been struggling all year – in your first game in charge really wouldn’t have been the way to go.
However, the hard work starts here for the former Aston Villa boss and a tough trip to Tottenham is the perfect example of how difficult it is going to be to pick up positive results on a regular basis.
The Blackburn game and the trip to QPR next weekend will perhaps be seen as more important for Sunderland’s season than this clash with Tottenham, but still, O’Neill will want a decent display from his team with plenty of endeavour.
If they can create something going forward too, then who knows what could happen. However, with midfielder Seb Larsson leading the goal scoring charts for them at the moment, they really do need their strikers to raise their game against Spurs.
Overall, this should be an entertaining game, but a wounded Spurs side will be focused on getting the three points and should do so relatively comfortably as far as the score line is concerned, even if Sunderland do have their moments.
Match bet: Tottenham on the Asian Handicap -1, -1.5 @ 1.850 with Bet365 - (£200 100% deposit bonus)
Correct score prediction: Tottenham 2:0 Sunderland @ 8 with Betfair
Watch Thomas Rooney and Pete South discuss the Tottenham v Sunderland game below together with their own predictions on the match.