Spurs close in on one in, one out in defence plus other transfer rumours

Podolski appears to have fallen out of favour at the Emirates and wasn't in the match-day squad for Saturday's 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

Bonus transfer rumours this morning and Spurs are set to let go of a stalwart to bring in an exciting new talent. This and more from the fingers of Alex Johnson.

Tottenham could complete the signing of Frederico Fazio by the end of this week, according to the Daily Mirror.

Despite seeing his side keep clean sheets in their opening two league games of the season, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is keen to further bolster his defensive options.

With Michael Dawson poised to join Hull City, Tottenham are ready to spend £8million to bring Sevilla centre-back Fazio to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, SportinaStorm.com report that Sunderland are set to take Liverpool defender Sebastian Coates on a season-long loan deal.

The Uruguayan defender has not played for the Reds in over a year, after suffering a serious knee injury at the beginning of last season. Despite now returning to full fitness, the 23-year-old has dropped further down the pecking order at Anfield, following the arrival of Dejan Lovren.

Sunderland currently have just six senior defenders at their disposal and Coates would offer some healthy competition for places for boss Gus Poyet.

French daily L'Equipe are suggesting Marseille may add to their squad ahead of Monday's transfer deadline, with Alex Song believed to be a target for the Ligue 1 outfit.

Song looks like he may struggle for regular action at Camp Nou this term, after Barca's capture of Jeremy Mathieu and Ivan Rakitic this summer.

The former Arsenal midfielder has been a target for several Premier League teams this summer, including Liverpool and Manchester United, but France could be his next destination.

Meanwhile, the agent of Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski has denied claims that his player is currently speaking to both Juventus and Napoli about a potential move.

Podolski appears to have fallen out of favour at the Emirates and wasn't in the match-day squad for Saturday's 2-2 draw with Everton at Goodison Park.

There had been suggestions on Monday that the Germany international had flown to Italy to discuss a possible summer switch to Serie A. But agent Ali Pektas insisted: "There has been no approach from either of those clubs. The only certainty is that Lukas has a contract with Arsenal."

Finally, Southampton are looking to make a raid on La Liga champions Atletico Madrid before Monday's transfer deadline.

The Times claim Ronald Koeman has enquired about signing Belgium international defender Toby Alderweireld, although Saints face competition for his signature from French outfit Monaco.

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FA Cup & Champions League Results: Patient Spurs and Chelsea rewarded

Champions League / Maxliu / 27 March 2012 / Leave a Comment

FA Cup wins for Spurs and Everton set up exciting semi-finals and Chelsea pull off excellent away victory in Portugal...

Tottenham Hotspur are [3.6] to win the FA Cup and Chelsea are [1.14] to win their Champions League quarter-final after second-half goals earned important victories for both London clubs.

The Blues will be especially pleased with their 1-0 win over Benfica in Portugal. The away side were matched at [6.4] and they had to work very hard in every department to achieve an excellent win. Salomon Kalou scored the game's only goal with 15 minutes remaining, finishing from Fernando Torres' smart pass.

It was a fantastic result for caretaker manager Roberto Di Matteo who freshened up his side after the weekend's draw with Spurs. The gamble pulled off with Raul Meireles and Torres both impressing. Chelsea can now be backed at [11.0] to win the Champions League. Real Madrid, who were matched at [2.7] for their 3-0 victory away to APOEL, can be backed at [3.4] to reclaim Europe's biggest prize.

The FA Cup semi-finals should be feisty affairs with Spurs set to play Chelsea and Everton meeting Liverpool, following this evening's results.

Bolton provided stern resistance against Spurs' stellar attacking talents for 73 minutes before Ryan Nelsen rewarded those who matched him at [55.0] in the first goalscorer market.

In fact, a flurry of late goals meant that a number of long odds bets came in as Gareth Bale scored Spurs' second and Kevin Davies notched a Bolton consolation before an injury time strike from Louis Saha meant that 3-1, matched at a whopping [290.00], was the correct score.

Everton were by far the better team in their FA Cup quarter-final replay away to Sunderland. David Moyes team scored a goal in each half- the first from Nikica Jelavic, the second an own goal by David Vaughan - as they set up a mouthwatering semi against their local rivals. Everton can be backed at [5.5] to win the competition they last lifted in 1995.

David Luiz and Ramires are both returning to their old stomping ground and could prove the key to Chelsea's success......

James Eastham expects an entertaining encounter in Portugal on Tuesday evening....

Chelsea fans may think they dodged something of a bullet by drawing Benfica but there are good stats to suggest the Portuguese outfit shouldn't be too disppapointed with the draw themselves, says Matthew Walton....

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Premier League Results: Spurs come unstuck as Toffees triumph

Premier League / Mike Norman / 10 March 2012 / Leave a Comment

Nikica Jelavic scores his first goal in an Everton shirt

"Two of these three clubs will almost certainly claim a Top 4 Finish; Tottenham can be backed at [1.3], Arsenal at [1.54] and Chelsea at [2.22]."

Everton narrowly beat Tottenham at Goodison Park to blow the race to finish in the top four wide open...

Everton tonight gave David Moyes the perfect anniversary present as they condemned Tottenham to a third successive defeat in the Premier League.

Moyes, celebrating 10 years in charge at Goodison Park, saw his side add to their recent home victories over Manchester City and Chelsea by beating Spurs thanks to a solitary Nikica Jelavic goal.

A very quiet opening to the game burst into life just after the 20 minute mark when Marouane Fellaini's shot was superbly saved by Brad Friedel. Moments later Leon Osman got clear in the box and played a neat sideways pass to Jelavic who side-footed home from 12 yards for his first goal as an Everton player. The Croatian was matched at [11.0] in the First Goalscorer market.

Tottenham huffed and puffed in the second half but rarely created a decent goal-scoring opportunity; the Everton victory being matched at a high of [3.6] In-Play with the 1-0 Correct Score backed at [11.0].

The win takes Everton up to ninth in the Premier League table but the real interest is five or six places higher up where Spurs remain in third place just four points ahead of London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea. The Gunners have a game in hand.

Two of these three clubs will almost certainly claim a Top 4 Finish; Tottenham can be backed at [1.3], Arsenal at [1.54] and Chelsea at [2.22].

Rovers and Wanderers pick up three vital points each against relegation rivals as Wolves look sunk and Hughes seethes. Meanwhile, O'Neill outfoxes Dalglish and Drogba earns three points for Chelsea......

Of all the matches in the Premier League this weekend, this is as close to a home banker as you might get. Wigan are in deep trouble whereas Norwich keep on showing they can more than compete at this level...

Tottenham's run of two straight defeats in the league has been talked about as a mini-crisis and though a trip to Goodison Park is never easy, Harry Redknapp's men are good for at least a point. Emmanuel Adebayor will be...

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Lee Dixon: Defoe can help Spurs to a point at the Etihad Stadium

Premier League / Lee Dixon / 21 January 2012 / Leave a Comment

Jermain Defoe doing what Jermain Defoe does best

"Spurs have a good record against City though with Opta revealing the Lilywhites have suffered just five defeats in the last 29 league matches between the two sides."

This is a huge match in the title race whichever way you look at it. Spurs are more than capable of denying Manchester City a point and keeping the title race wide open, says Lee Dixon.

With half of the season gone not many would have expected this to have been a match between two title contenders. There will be those who think that Spurs won't be able to keep going like they have been (for whatever reason) but whilst they're still within touching distance of the pace-setters, we can't rule them out. And if Spurs can't quite keep up till the bitter end, at the very least they'll have a say in who does win it as a result of their matches against Manchester City and United.

Match Odds

Managers will tell you that it's 1-0 away wins that win you leagues, not 5-0 drubbings. What they mean is that securing three points when you're not playing that well is the quality of champions. City's win at Wigan was a case in point. They created a fair few chances but there wasn't a huge amount of fluency in their passing and in the end it was a couple of really good saves from Joe Hart that secured the points. That and the fact that his players did a good job of defending their lead in a pragmatic way rather than going in search of more goals. That gameplan doesn't always work of course but on this occasion it did.

Spurs' chances of contending for the title were dealt a huge blow last Saturday with a disappointing home draw against Wolves, but those results are going to happen from time to time when you're not scoring enough goals. In recent matches they scored just one, or occasionally two, and defended very well. But if you go a goal behind you need to be able to go up a couple of gears if you want to win the league title. How many times have we seen Manchester United over the years stage comebacks after going behind?

Neither side is necessarily at their best just now though it's perfectly understandable that City are slight odds-on to win this game. Spurs have a good record against City though with Opta revealing the Lilywhites have suffered just five defeats in the last 29 league matches between the two sides. They've also lost just one of their last nine away matches - and that in controversial fashion at Stoke - and will be desperate to avenge that thrashing at the Lane earlier on in the season. My money is on the draw at [3.85].

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

A tough market to call. Spurs have kept just the one clean sheet in their last eight games away from home (Opta) so I don't think there's much chance of another against the league leaders. But it's not inconceivable that they'll concede just the one, whereas I've already touched on the fact they're not scoring too many themselves. The best way to play this is to back unders at [2.16] at the off and lay off your bet if there aren't any goals in the first 20 minutes. There may end up being three goals in the match but it may take a while for them to come.

To Score

Emmanuel Adebayor is unavailable for this match because of the terms of his loan to Spurs. That may actually not be a bad thing for Harry Redknapp. Firstly because he hasn't been in great form recently and secondly because he's a temperamental character who has been known to get a bit over-excited in matches against teams he used to play for. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8252803.stm OK, admittedly he's still a City player, but you know what I mean. Either way, it makes Redknapp's life pretty simple when it comes to picking his striker and Jermain Defoe is almost certain to get a game at last.

There's been speculation Defoe may want to move on given that at this stage of his career he wants to be starting every week, especially with a major championship coming up in the summer. It may be just that - speculation - but Defoe obviously feels he should be playing more. This is a good chance to prove he deserves more game time for the rest of the season and there's no reason why Defoe can't go out and do what he does best. Back him to find the net at any time.

1 pt Back the draw @ [3.85]
1 pt Back-to-lay under 2.5 goals @ [2.16]
Back Jermain Defoe to score at anytime @ [4.5]

Michael Cox says:

Harry Redknapp isn't regarded as the league's most astute tactician, but he'll be well aware that Manchester City have often struggled this season against sides that defend deep before playing on the break - Napoli were a good example, as more recently, were Sunderland.

With that in mind, and without Emmanuel Adebayor, I expect Jermain Defoe to start upfront because of his pace. But I think he might be closely supported by Gareth Bale, who is increasingly playing through the middle and is therefore more of a goalscoring threat himself. Few players are as devastating on the break, so I'm surprised to see Bale at [15.0] to open the scoring.

Back Gareth Bale to be first goalscorer @ [15.0]

Gareth Purnell is not convinced by the market's assumption that we are in for a minor goal-fest when Manchester City face Tottenham on Sunday afternoon - read on to find out why...

Sir Alex Ferguson has tried various approaches at the Emirates in recent years with various degrees of success. Michael Cox ponders the recent history of the fixture and how that will shape Manchester United's tactics here....

It's their home form that's the problem and this away trip to the Reebok Stadium should suit Liverpool just fine. A low-scoring win for the away team looks the bet with Craig Bellamy being the one to break the deadlock,...

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Tottenham Transfer News: Spurs look at home for new forwards

Premier League / Joe Dyer / 10 July 2011 / Leave a Comment

Will this Black Cat be plying his trade in north London next year?

"Could Sunderland's Asamoah Gyan be the man to fire Spurs up the Premier League table? It's been reported that Defoe could leave White Hart Lane for the second time in his career, in a swap-plus-£5m deal with the Black Cats."

Spurs are again right in the middle of rumour mill with many striking options for the faithful to chew over

No day on the transfer rumour mill is complete without a Tottenham mention and so it is that they dominate today's talk.

Spurs fans have long thought that the key to Champions League qualification is a change of personnel upfront with none of misfiring quartet Jermain Defoe, Peter Crouch, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch considered a key man at the Lane.

But while much talk has focused on Harry Redknapp's probably fruitless attempts to land Giuseppe Rossi from Villareal, the transfer chat suggests a couple of solutions may be closer to home.

Could Sunderland's Asamoah Gyan be the man to fire Spurs up the Premier League table? It's been reported that Defoe could leave White Hart Lane for the second time in his career, in a swap-plus-£5m deal with the Black Cats.

After impressing at the 2010 World Cup, Gyan scored ten goals for Sunderland in a largely successful season for the Ghanaian on Wearside. But there have been rumours of a departure from the Stadium of Light in recent weeks, and Steve Bruce could be bracing himself for the loss of another big name after Darren Bent last season and Jordan Henderson this summer.

But Gyan isn't the only name for Spurs fans to consider with Dimitar Berbatov once again appearing on Redknapp's radar.

Many amongst the Tottenham faithful would be unhappy to see the Bulgarian back at White Hart Lane, but his 20 goal tally last year easily surpassed top scorer Pavlyuchenko (9) and laughs at the four goals scored by Defoe and Crouch.

Spurs are currently [4.6] for a top four finish, but a big name signing upfront will surely make them a genuine threat to an Arsenal side likely to be rebuilding under Arsene Wenger and Liverpool, where Kenny Dalglish will be trying to bed in a host of new players.

Shay Given, Alan Hutton and Scott Parker could all be on their way to Villa Park as Alex McLeish looks to make his own imprint on the Aston Villa squad....

Spurs chairman Daniel Levy expressed confidence that Luka Modric will be happy to stay at the club after their meeting, while he could be joined by Juan Mata....

Charlie Adam is expected to become Liverpool's second summer signing after it was confirmed that they had struck a deal with Blackpool....

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NBA Betting Preview: Phoenix visit is chance for Spurs to step up

Basketball / Nick Shiambouros / 01 April 2011 / Leave a Comment

The pressure is on the for the Spurs

"I am expecting a huge effort from the Spurs in this crucial fixture."

With LA hot on their heels, San Antonio need to raise their game this weekend. Nick Shiambouros selects the best bets at the start of an exciting weekend in the NBA...

The Boston Celtics beat the San Antonio Spurs 107-97 at the AT&T Center on Thursday evening. Both teams traded punches all night long but it was the Celtics who proved the stronger in the final quarter.

Point guard Rajon Rondo had a huge night for Boston, scoring 22 points with 14 assists, in a very important victory which leaves the Celtics just two games behind Chicago in the Eastern Conference.

This was the fifth straight loss for San Antonio who are in real danger of losing the number one seeding in the Western Conference. The Spurs are now just 2.5 games ahead of Los Angeles with seven games left in the regular season.
On Thursday, the in form Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 110-82 in one of the most ill-tempered games I've seen all year. The game got out of hand in the fourth quarter when the teams were involved in an altercation on the floor. Four players were ejected as a result of this ugly incident.

This was the eighth win in a row for Los Angeles who are firing on all cylinders. The defending champions look unstoppable at the moment and have shortened to [3.85] to win the NBA championship.

This weekend , the Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs continue their battle for Western Conference supremacy and home court advantage.

On Sunday, the San Antonio Spurs play host to the Phoenix Suns in a nationally televised game. This is a must win game for San Antonio who have the best home record in basketball at 33-5. Despite their shocking recent form they will be heavily fancied.

The Suns have played very poorly since the All-Star break and appear to be looking forward to a long summer holiday. They still have a mathematical chance of making the post-season but it would take a miracle.

I am expecting a huge effort from the Spurs in this crucial fixture. Tim Duncan and company fully understand the importance of this game and should have way too many weapons for the disappointing Suns. I'm sure this veteran team will run up the score and should be backed at around [1.9] with the advertised handicap.

Later on Sunday, the Lakers host the Denver Nuggets. LA have been presented with a real chance of catching San Antonio in the West and will fight for every point in this game.

The great Kobe Bryant has been on fire for Los Angeles in the past few weeks and is playing like a man who is desperate to win his third consecutive championship.

At the defensive end of the floor, Ron Artest who has finally recaptured his early season form. He's not the easiest player to coach but he is one of the best defensive players in the game.

The Denver Nuggets are currently in fifth place in the Western Conference and are playing some decent basketball despite losing superstar guard Carmelo Anthony to New York earlier this year.

Head coach George Karl has done a wonderful job with the rotation and they could make a little noise in the post-season. I think the Lakers will be very difficult to beat and should be backed at around [1.9] with the advertised handicap.

Recommended Bets
Sunday back San Antonio with advertised handicap at [1.9]
Sunday back Los Angeles with advertised handicap at [1.9]

Nick Shiambouros previews the semi-finals of college basketball's big competition...

This weekend brings plenty of games with playoff implications and Nick Shiambouros has suggested bets for two of them...

Nick Shiambouros looks at some of the big weekend fixtures in the NBA...

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Premier League Betting: Wolves v Spurs

Premier League / Joe Dyer / 05 March 2011 / Leave a Comment

Both these men could be very busy on Sunday afternoon

"Wolves may have a reputation as dour, attritional grinders but they can cut loose when they need to. Spurs may be known as attack-first entertainers but they can shut up shop if the occasion demands it. The market says defence will dominate on Sunday – with Unders priced at 1.83 – but I smell the whiff of goals about this one."

With AC Milan looming in the rear-view mirror, Spurs may not have their eye on the ball here - can Wolves profit? Joe Dyer may have the answers

How ironic that a successful debut season in the Champions League could derail Tottenham's bid for a second crack at the world's richest club competition.

With AC Milan in town on Wednesday night and a 1-0 first leg lead to protect, Spurs must decide whether to risk the first team at Wolves on Sunday, knowing they can't afford to let up in the league with Chelsea looking strong again and Liverpool coming up on the inside rail.

And waiting for them will be a hungry Wanderers outfit, desperate for points as they bid to beat the drop.

Match Odds - Wolves [3.15], Spurs [2.54], the draw [3.4]
With such a wide gap between league positions it's understandable that Spurs are favourites at [2.5], but it's debatable whether that is a price worth taking. The Lilywhites may have accrued six wins on the road - just one less than they've achieved at home - but the suspicion is that they remain susceptible to 'shock' defeats when the market suggests a win is likely.

And that doubt is compounded by Wolves' recent good form. Mick McCarthy's men have ended Manchester United's unbeaten run and pounded ten-man Blackpool in recent weeks. It would be no surprise to see them claim the scalp of another big club, to add to a collection that includes Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool already this season.

But is [3.15] particularly appealing for a home win? No, the draw is the bet for me at 3.4 with an In-Play lay punched in should the stalemate go short late on.

Under/Over 2.5 Goals
Wolves may have a reputation as dour, attritional grinders but they can cut loose when they need to. Spurs may be known as attack-first entertainers but they can shut up shop if the occasion demands it. The market says defence will dominate on Sunday - with Unders priced at 1.83 - but I smell the whiff of goals about this one. A draw is not much good to either and the urge to attack will be strong.

Both Teams to Score
Spurs have conceded a relatively low 31 goals, but they usually find a way to let one in as a poor total of five clean sheets shows. Wolves have let in 46, with just four shutouts. Backing both teams to score at nearly [1.9] appeals.

And backing a man to score those goals is the natural place to go if we're looking for bigger odds. With Tottenham's forwards misfiring it's natural to look at the midfield to provide but with doubts over Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale, who will score them? Niko Kranjcar was displaying good form with two in two matches but, surprisingly, was just a sub when Tottenham went down at Blackpool. Back him around the [5.0] mark to get on the scoresheet if his name is in the Spurs starting line-up.

Recommended Bets:
Best Bet: Back both teams to score @ [1.86]
Back over 2.5 goals @ [2.16]

The two most successful football teams in England go head-to-head this Sunday lunchtime as Liverpool take on Manchester United at Anfield. Feizal Rahman selects the best bets....

Wenger left to rue missed chances as Arsenal blow opportunity to close gap. Meanwhile, Hammers happy for second time in a week and Duff leaves Blackburn's safety looking dodgy......

With AC Milan looming in the rear-view mirror, Spurs may not have their eye on the ball here - can Wolves profit? Joe Dyer may have the answers...

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Champions League Results: Crouch helps Spurs take a giant step towards the quarters

Champions League / Jamie "The Pacman" Pacheco / 15 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Cheers mate. Peter Crouch thanks Aaron Lennon for handing him a priceless goal on a plate

"Gattuso’s behaviour will be the least of Harry Redknapp’s worries though and the win makes them 1.35 favourites to qualify and 18.0 to go on and win the competition."

Spurs are in pole position to make the last eight of the Champions League while Schalke and Valencia drew in Spain...

Tottenham took a huge step towards qualifying for the quarter finals of the Champions League by beating AC Milan 1-0 in Italy tonight. They were matched at 9.8 In-Play just before Peter Crouch side-footed Aaron Lennon's square pass into the back of the net after the winger had gone on a fantastic run down the right. Crouch was matched at [15.5] to open the scoring and was one of several Spurs players who had a fine game. The 1-0 win meant big payouts for those who had backed the north London outfit to win by that scoreline at [20.0] and to keep a clean sheet at [6.8].

It was an exciting game of football but one that had plenty of controversy as well. Former Arsenal man Mathieu Flamini was lucky to escape a red card for a reckless challenge on Vedran Corluka, which saw the Croatian international stretchered off and likely to miss quite a few upcoming matches. Gennaro Gattuso, always a tempestuous character who was booked for a dangerous tackle on Steven Pienaar and will miss the return leg, confronted Spurs assistant manager Joe Jordan during the match and appeared to head-butt him after the final whistle; further sanctions will surely follow and it's likely the Italy international will receive some sort of ban in addition to his one-match suspension.

Gattuso's behaviour will be the least of Harry Redknapp's worries though and the win makes them [1.35] favourites to qualify and [18.0] to go on and win the competition.

Over in Spain Valencia missed out on a good chance to take an advantage into the second leg. They went 1-0 up but allowed Raul, of all people, to grab an equaliser and put Schalke in a good position to qualify for the quarters, which they are 1.6 to do. Raul spent almost a decade and a half at Valencia's rivals Real Madrid and scored plenty of goals against them over the years. He was matched at [6.8] to score one tonight whilst the draw was matched at [6.8] and 1-1 at [10.0].

Barcelona, who face Arsenal tomorrow night, are the favourites to win this year's edition of the Champions League at [2.96].

Spurs are in pole position to make the last eight of the Champions League while Schalke and Valencia drew in Spain......

Arsenal and Barcelona should produce another enthralling match at the Emirates on Wednesday, says Tobias Gourlay....

This was a cracking match when these two played last year in the very same competition and we could have another really good game this time round. How are the teams likely to line up, where will the game be...

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Premier League Betting: Sunderland v Spurs

Premier League / Frank Gregan / 11 February 2011 / Leave a Comment

Gyan the man. Asamoah Gyan is congratulated by Jordan Henderson after scoring yet another goal

"If the game pans out to be an end-to-end type of game then there's every chance it will be a high scoring affair and rather than taking a shade better than odds against on over 2.5 goals I suggest you look at the [3.8] available on over 3.5 goals and trade out if we get a couple of early strikes. "

This a big game for two sides who are close to each other in the table and haven't lost hope of still qualifying for the Champions League. It could just turn out to be a high-scoring affair, says Frank Gregan.

Sunderland V Tottenham - Premier League Betting Preview.

Kick Off 17:30, Saturday 12th February live on ESPN.

This is a vital game for both clubs. Seventh placed Sunderland come into it on the back of two successive league defeats and if they are to get on the tails of the top five they need to win this game. Defeat would leave the Black Cats 10 points behind Spurs whilst a win would close the gap to four.

Spurs come into this game on the back of two straight wins and will be hoping to leapfrog fourth placed Chelsea, who aren't in action until Monday. They could also get to within two points of third placed Manchester City and have a game in hand should the Sky Blues lose in the early kick off at Old Trafford.

The Stadium of Light is not a happy hunting ground for Harry Redknapp's men. They haven't won there in their last five visits, having lost three and drawn two. Steve Bruce will continue to be without the services of the injured Fraizer Campbell, Danny Welbeck and Michael Turner but goalkeeper Craig Gordon should be fit despite having to withdraw from Scotland's squad in midweek.

Tottenham's away form is sound, they are one of only four teams in the league that has won more on the road than they have lost. Ledley King (groin) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle)will miss out for Spurs and Gareth Bale (back) is a doubt.

Match Odds: Sunderland [2.84] Tottenham [2.82] The Draw [3.35]

The market reflects the perceived closeness of this contest and a case could be for all three outcomes. Given Sunderland's solid home form this term and Tottenham's poor record at the venue it's tempting to recommend Sunderland but recently they've allowed their standards to slip. They've lost to Chelsea, got out of jail with a stoppage time equaliser in the local derby against Newcastle and crashed out of the FA Cup against Notts County in their last three home matches.

Spurs are improving all the time under Harry Redknapp but are still capable of putting in performances that make their supporters want to hide behind the sofa. The debacle at Fulham in the FA Cup a couple of weeks ago was a case in point and with a Champions League tie coming up on Tuesday in Milan, there's every chance they might be distracted.

This game could well be an open contest and waiting until the first goal is scored and laying the side that has taken the lead at [1.6] or less In-Play is the recommendation.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Both these sides are in the bottom four of the Over 2.5 goals table. Indeed, Sunderland are rock bottom with only four of their 13 home matches yielding a three or more goals aggregate. 'Unders' is consequently favourite at [1.9] with overs priced at [2.1] but given that Sunderland have conceded seven goals in their last two matches, overs at the bigger price looks to be the value.

Over/Under 3.5 Goals

If the game pans out to be an end-to-end type of game then there's every chance it will be a high scoring affair and rather than taking a shade better than odds against on over 2.5 goals I suggest you look at the [3.8] available on over 3.5 goals and trade out if we get a couple of early strikes.

Tottenham to Win from Behind

Sunderland have dropped more points from winning positions than any other side in the league this season and Spurs have recovered more points when trailing than any other team. That makes the [14.0] that should be attainable on Spurs to win from behind a feasible scenario.

Best Bet : Back over 3.5 goals at [3.8]
Other Recommendation: Lay the first team to score In-Play at [1.6] or lower.

Both teams need to show more ambition if this Manchester derby is to live up to the hype. But will Roberto Mancini start with two strikers and what formation will Sir Alex Ferguson favour? Michael Cox unravels the tactical dilemmas...

This a big game for two sides who are close to each other in the table and haven't lost hope of still qualifying for the Champions League. It could just turn out to be a high-scoring affair, says Frank Gregan....

Shock appointment as ex-Liverpool boss takes over at the Hawthorns after [1.01] Hughton is snubbed......

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