Betfair Official Blog

UEFA Cup

Slavia Prague v Spurs: Robbie is Keane on UEFA Cup glory

Click here to view market

Morgan in the Driving Seat- Allsy talks us through the betting tells us why UEFA Cup specialist Juande Ramos will be taking this tie pretty seriously

Slavia Prague currently sits five points clear at the top of the Czech League but in Thursday's Uefa Cup first-leg tie they will not relish facing a team placed eleventh in the Premiership. Slavia coach, Karel Jarolim, will know that Spurs has improved immeasurably under the stewardship of Juande Ramos and he's had plenty of time to watch their renaissance during the winter break. Now Slavia must wake from their winter slumber despite a lack of recent competitive games.

Slavia's last visit to London ended in ignominious defeat when Arsenal cruised to a 7-0 victory in the Champions League and now they face a Spurs side who knocked them out of the same competition last year. Factor in the fact that Ramos is going for a third successive victory in the Uefa Cup and the omens do not look promising for a team that has struggled to make an impact in European competition.

The singular ray of sunshine for Jarolim is that Slavia host the first leg and you can back them to win at [4.8] but I don't see how Slavia will be sharp enough to defeat a Spurs side producing impressive results like a well-oiled machine.

Keeper Martin Vaniak is a regular in the Czech national side and he'll need all his experience to keep a clean sheet against the Premiership's most prolific striking duo with 34 goals between Berbatov and Keane in all competitions. I expect the versatile Matej Krajcik to play a holding role in midfield while Captain Vladimir Smicer remains Slavia's best chance of scoring a goal. Spurs has only conceded a solitary goal in their last three games but they are missing some key defenders. A clean sheet for the away side is uncertain but I suspect the best Slavia fans can hope for is the draw at [3.65].

Tottenham will travel to the Evzena Rosickeho stadium expecting to win the game. It's a strange occurrence when Jonathan Woodgate is your fittest centre-half but with Dawson unfit, and King unlikely to be risked, Kaboul or Huddlestone are more than capable of stepping up to the mark.

At the beginning of the season Spurs would have hoped to make a real impact in this competition. The early season managerial farce is long-since forgotten and in Ramos they could not have wished for a manager better suited to Uefa Cup success. Ramos is unlikely to rest many first choice players but if Spurs wins by a decent margin some squad players will surely feature in the return leg next Thursday.

Tottenham has a strange run of fixtures with the Carling Cup final against Chelsea looming on February 24th and no Premiership fixture until March 8th. Ramos wants a historic third consecutive Uefa Cup win while his players will be desperate to cement their respective places in the starting eleven for the big day at Wembley with impressive performances.

Tottenham will be gunning for a win which is all bad news for Slavia Prague who lost 3-0 in their last home European match to... yes, you guessed it: Ramos' old team Sevilla. Somehow I suspect that Slavia's European 'experience' in this year's Champions League hasn't filled them with too much confidence.

You can back Tottenham to win the first leg at [1.9] but you're more likely to get better value elsewhere if, like me, you suspect a goal-fest in the making. I'd definitely back 'over 3.5 or more' goals at [3.6] or perhaps 'over 4.5 or more' goals at a tempting [7.4]. Either way, when Slavia returns to London next Thursday the highlight of their trip is likely to be the traditional shopping trip to Oxford Street. I see the Spurs marching on but am I too bullish about their prospects? Let me know if you think Slavia can get a result?