WBA v Tottenham Hotspur: Preview, Team News & Predicted Score

It’s a rare Saturday 3pm Saturday kick off for Tottenham Hotspur this week. Not that the game time should faze Harry Redknapp’s dazzling Spurs side, on the face of it, not much could or should at the moment. Eight wins and one draw from the last nine, 25 points from 27 and after thrashing Aston Villa 2-0 on Monday night, up into 3rd place in the Premier League. With a game in hand. Truly outstanding form at the moment from this Spurs outfit. Heady times for supporters of the Lilywhites.

What may faze Spurs is a propensity to under-perform at The Hawthorns. Spurs have won only one out of five attempts in the Premier League away to West Brom, losing two and drawing two. Redknapp’s good friend Roy Hodgson is also famed for constructing difficult to beat sides and it certainly won’t be an easy ride for Spurs. West Brom are 10th in the league currently and should not be underestimated. They were at home last time out against Bolton and grabbed a 2-1 win, although this followed successive defeats to Spurs rivals for top four, Arsenal and Liverpool.

With Peter Odemwingie still sidelined – he tormented Spurs twice last season – Hodgson will look to Shane Long and Zoltan Gera to provide their main attacking impetus. Yousouf Mulumbu is also a forceful presence from midfield and it will be interesting to see him up against the unbeatable Super Scotty Parker. Winger Jerome Thomas could also prove tricky, with three goals from six games against Spurs in the Premier League he clearly relishes these games. At the back, Albion have a fairly settled back four, Reid, Olsson, McAuley and former England hopeful Nicky Shorey in front of Ben Foster. They form a reliable while not outstanding unit, if the Spurs front four hit top form then it could be a rough ride for West Brom’s back line. Manu Adebayor against Olsson could be a real physical battle to watch out for.

It seem’s unlikely that Harry Redknapp will make any changes to the Spurs line-up. There’s no need really is there? Every single player was at the top of their game on Monday night and will surely look to continue that this weekend. Brad Friedel had little to do against his old club and if Spurs play to their potential this could be repeated again on Saturday. Certainly if Younes Kaboul has anything to do with it. Kaboul tops the Premier League for headed clearances with 79!! His head must be made of stone! Alongside Ledley King, Kaboul grows and grows with each game and even his previous harshest critics are beginning to accept and appreciate the talent that he has always – in the view of this blog – had.

Either side of the King/Kaboul axis, Walker and Benny will look to continue the form that see’s them rated as two of the best full backs in the league. On Monday night Aaron Lennon looked back to his electrifying best, if he maintains that, teams trying to double up on Bale will find themselves in serious trouble as Spurs now have an outlet either side. There’s not much to add about the Modric/Parker partnership that hasn’t already been said, it’s a joy to watch them work at the moment. Ahead of them Rafa van der Vaart had an excellent game against Villa without troubling the scorers. Not that it mattered with Adebayor rediscovering his scoring boots with a superb bicycle kick and the easiest goal he’ll ever score.

Prediction

It would be easy to get carried away with Spurs form and see this as a game that they will steamroller through. On paper of course that may well be true, but as any long standing Spurs fan will tell you, this is just the kind of game that could see the Lilywhites come unstuck. However this team looks different. They are a slick, cohesive unit who look to have great team spirit and unity and a huge amount of faith in each other. I’m going for Spurs to continue their good form with a 3-1 win.