Kick Off: 1730, 04/02/2017
Stadium: White Hart Lane
TV: BT Sport 1
Tottenham blew a big chance to cut the gap on Premier League leaders Chelsea when held to a goalless draw at Sunderland on Tuesday and will be determined to make amends when hosting Middlesbrough.
However, Aitor Karanka’s side have been pretty hard to break down on the road this term and travel to north London on the back of a decent display against West Brom in midweek.
Trueform tips: Middlesbrough have generally been playing better than their pre-match odds would suggest and there was little between these two sides’ midweek efforts, so there may be some value in siding with the visitors, especially if Tottenham have one eye on an upcoming trip to Liverpool.
A Look At Tottenham’s Betting Odds
Tottenham were delighted to pick up a point at Manchester City after being outplayed for most of that match but Mauricio Pochettino was far less enthusiastic about only securing a share of the spoils in a fairly drab affair at the Stadium of Light.
“In the first half, we didn’t play well – we were poor,” moaned the Argentinian. “We shot only once and it’s difficult to win a game in that way. In the second half, we were much better. We created some chances to score, but it wasn’t enough. We dropped two points. We feel disappointed. But not only with the result, with our performance.”
Pochettino can hardly rely on his fringe players to freshen things up as they only just scraped past Wycombe in the FA Cup, so this could just be a time to take Spurs on, with Middlesbrough available at a tempting 29/10 to win or draw.
A Look At Middlesbrough’s Betting Odds
Middlesbrough may have also been held to a draw last time out but they will take plenty of heart from a 1-1 stalemate with the Baggies after controlling much of the play that night and enjoying almost 62 per cent of possession.
That ability to keep the ball and hold their shape has helped Boro to register six draws and one win on the road this season, picking up a point at Arsenal and Manchester City, as well as leading at Manchester United until the last five minutes.
The Teessiders have only been beaten by more than one goal away from home once, so Evens for the visitors with a two-goal start on the handicap market has obvious appeal, while those who like to take a punt on long shots could do far worse than 21/2 for Boro to bag all three points on the break.
Additional stats
Last result:
Sunderland 0-0 TOTTENHAM
MIDDLESBROUGH 1-1 West Brom – Alvaro Negredo (pen)
Head-to-head: Middlesbrough 1-2 Tottenham, Tottenham 4-0 Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough 2-1 Tottenham, Tottenham 1-1 Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough 1-1 Tottenham
