
Tottenham v Anderlecht: Mauves et Blancs won't draw a blank
Spurs lost an entertaining game in Belgium a fortnight ago, and Kevin Hatchard expects another thriller at White Hart Lane…
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Tottenham v Anderlecht
Thursday November 5, 20:05
Live on BT Sport Europe
Things change quickly in football, and having gone into their away game at Anderlecht looking good in the Europa League, Spurs find themselves under pressure after a 2-1 defeat. The north London giants are third in the group, and another slip-up could prove costly.
The game in Brussels was as competitive and close as I had expected, and we were only 15 minutes away from the draw I tipped, before Spurs lost control of the match in the closing stages. The defeat infuriated coach Mauricio Pochettino, especially as his side had taken a fourth-minute lead through Christian Eriksen, and could have been further ahead before the hosts equalised.
Pochettino has a difficult balance to strike between pushing hard for a vital Europa League win, and keeping players fresh for Sunday’s derby against Arsenal at the Emirates. On that basis Harry Kane, who has scored four goals in his last two games, may well be rested, even though he’ll doubtless be keen to play to maintain his personal momentum. Understudy Clinton N’Jie was very disappointing in Brussels, and needs to start showing what I suspect he is capable of.
Anderlecht followed up their win over Spurs with a 3-1 victory against Club Brugge, and they’ve now lost just one of their last 14 games in all competitions. Les Mauves et Blancs could be without highly-rated midfielder Dennis Praet because of injury, but they don’t have too many personnel concerns.
Spurs have won their last two games in the Premier League, and while Opta tell us they have lost just one of their last 18 European games at White Hart Lane, I just can’t get excited about the 1.75 on offer for the home victory. Much has been made of the fact that Anderlecht haven’t won any of their last 12 away games (excluding qualifiers) in the Champions League and Europa League, but they held both Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund to draws last season.
I’m more intrigued by the evens on offer for Over 2.5 Goals. Anderlecht have played 16 games in England and never kept a clean sheet, while Spurs have managed just one shut-out in their last ten European matches. Six of Tottenham’s last eight games in all competitions have featured at least three goals, and there’s no reason that this game shouldn’t be as open and entertaining as the reverse fixture was.
Recommended Bet
Back Over 2.5 Goals at 2.00
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