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UEFA Cup

Spurs v PSV: Keane and Berbatov to go Dutch with the goals in a 2-0 home win?

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Morgan in the driving seat - Allsy tells us why Spurs are ready to put last Saturday's woes behind them and take a lead into the second-leg against PSV in the UEFA Cup

Following some impressive celebrations Spurs were unceremoniously kicked off cloud 9 last weekend losing 4-1 to Birmingham FC. Beating Chelsea in the recent Carling Cup final was impressive enough but making Birmingham City look like Brazil required real talent and dedication. Birmingham rarely find the net four times during the pre-game warm up but Spurs defended incompetently and took a beating.

Admittedly some changes were made to the side against Birmingham but that doesn't provide a convincing excuse (with a defence including Robinson, Kaboul, Chimbonda and Hutton) against a team two places above the relegation zone. Thursday's first-leg Uefa Cup tie, against PSV, gives Spurs little time to lick their Premiership wounds. They'll regroup and attempt to banish any remaining ghosts of the Jol era and return instead to the kind of impressive football that has won so many plaudits of late.

Spurs are unlikely to be so generous in defence when the Dutch Champions arrive at White Hart Lane. Eindhoven had a weekend shocker of their own losing 3-1 away to FC Utrecht but they remain six points clear at the top of the Dutch Eredivisie ahead of second-placed Ajax.

Spurs face a big-beast of a team and no mistake. The last sixteen of the Uefa Cup will usually contain many strong teams but Tottenham have been drawn against a genuine heavyweight who have won five Dutch league titles in the last seven years.

I assume that King and Woodgate are being hot-housed as I write in an effort to return some stability to the centre of defence. Robinson's return in goal hasn't exactly added to the general sense of calm - he's still a fine shot-stopper but looks as nervous as ever when he has a little time to think. When fit, King and Woodgate compare favourably with any centre-half pairing in the Premiership... the problem is keeping them fit for any sustained period of time over recent seasons.

It's fair to assume that Jenas and Zokora will return to their starting midfield berths while Darren Bent will make way for Keane up front. Tottenham's centre-half pairing is vital (especially with away-goals in mind) but their striking duo is more likely to secure the Londoners a place in the last eight. The Premiership's most prolific forward line shows few signs of slowing down and Spurs will look to take a decisive lead to Holland next Wednesday.

Lately Spurs have played well enough, for long enough, to dismiss the Birmingham defeat as a blip on an upward trend. It's fair to assume that Ramos knows a thing or two about winning Uefa Cup titles so I expect Spurs to be well-prepared for the Sef Vergoossen's side.

The odds of a Tottenham victory on home turf is predictably tight and you can back them to win at [1.72]. You can back PSV to win at [5.6] which seems a little generous for a team of their stature but the draw, at [3.7], is a more realistic option for any optimistic Eindhoven fans.

On the domestic front PSV are the team to beat but they're being pushed hard by Ajax this season. Since they parachuted from the Champions League to the Uefa Cup they have only defeated Helsingborg but they will expect a tougher tie Thursday night. The two matches with Tottenham are bisected by a visit from arch rivals Ajax so the success of PSV's season will be largely influenced by results over the next fortnight.

Kenneth Perez and Danko Lazovic both have the ability to score important goals for PSV but Spurs will have to blunt the scoring talents of Danny Koevermans (11 goals in 14 appearances this season) if they want to take a clean sheet to Eindhoven next week.

All things considered I'd take Tottenham to win 1-0 at [7.2] but if you think more goals are likely you can back a 2-0 Spurs victory at [8.0].