Tottenham v Swansea: Back Swans to score against vulnerable Spurs

Kevin Hatchard
02 December 2016

Bob Bradley has finally secured his first league win as Swansea boss

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Tottenham played well at Chelsea last weekend, but came away from Stamford Bridge with nothing, while Swansea edged a nine-goal thriller against Crystal Palace. Kevin Hatchard believes defences could be under pressure again at the Lane on Saturday...

"Tottenham haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their last seven outings, while Swansea tend to score against the stronger teams, even if they don't then pick up a result."

Back Both Teams To Score at 1.9520/21

Tottenham Hotspur v Swansea City
Saturday, 15:00

Tottenham

Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino has tried to view a disappointing fortnight in a positive light. His side crashed out of the Champions League with a game to spare, and lost their unbeaten Premier League record last weekend as they went down 2-1 at Chelsea.

The Argentinian coach insists the Lilywhites were the better team at Stamford Bridge, even though they failed to build on the early lead given to them by a rocket from Christian Eriksen, and he is often at pains to stress that such defeats are merely part of the learning process for a squad unused to challenging for trophies.

Although the early departure from European football's top table will sting for a while, Spurs are still within striking distance of the top four, and they have lost just one of their first 13 league games. The announcement of yet another new contract for star striker Harry Kane was a boost - he loves Spurs like a man loves a dog, according to Pochettino.

But not all is rosy in the Tottenham garden. Some of the summer signings are failing to impress - Pochettino has publicly slated the efforts of £30m acquisition Moussa Sissoko, while Vincent Janssen is working hard, but is yet to score from open play. A run of one win in six Premier League games is starting to foster concern too.

Danny Rose is available again after suspension, and will replace Kevin Wimmer at left-back, but Erik Lamela misses out once again with a hip injury. Pochettino is unlikely to make too many changes after what he deemed an excellent display at Stamford Bridge, although Toby Alderweireld could feature if fit enough.

Swansea City

Sometimes in a relegation battle, you need a big moment to turn things in your favour. Swansea may have had theirs last weekend, as they won a chaotic game against Crystal Palace at the Liberty Stadium. The Swans led 3-1, but collapsed to trail 4-3, only to scored twice in the dying seconds. It might not just be a moment of redemption for the team, but also for Spanish striker Fernando Llorente, who netted both of those last-gasp strikes.

American manager Bob Bradley has now finally picked up his first Premier League win, and says taking maximum points from the Eagles was just reward for his squad's efforts in recent weeks. Swansea are suddenly just two points from safety, but if Bradley is to fully turn things around, he needs to fix a defence that has repeatedly sprung leaks. The Welsh side have shipped 26 goals in just 13 games, and only fellow strugglers Hull City have a worse record.

Bradley also must address a poor away record that has seen Swansea win just one of their six road matches. That pitiful away form hasn't just been on Bradley's watch - Swansea have won just five of their last 21 away games in the Premier League.

Llorente is pushing for a start after last weekend's heroics, but Bradley still has doubts over his fitness. Midfield string-puller Ki Sung-Yeung is still out with a broken toe, but there are no fresh injury concerns.

Match Odds

Opta tell us that Spurs are unbeaten in ten Premier League meetings with Swansea, winning eight of them and drawing the other two. The north Londoners have won all five of their Premier League clashes with the Swans at White Hart Lane.

If you add those statistics to Swansea's wretched away record, it's not hard to see why Spurs are trading at 1.364/11 for the win. However, Tottenham's current Premier League form makes that price a hard one to get excited about, so I'm looking elsewhere for selections.

Both Teams To Score?

This is the market that has caught my eye for this one. Opta tell us that Swansea have scored in eight of their ten Premier League games against Tottenham, and even though they are struggling on their travels this season, they have scored at least once in five of their six away games. They netted twice at the Emirates against , and they have also managed to score in games against Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea and Leicester City.

Tottenham haven't kept a clean sheet in any of their last seven games in all competitions. I'm backing both teams to find the net at 1.9520/21.

To Score

Swansea have really struggled in central defence since Ashley Williams defected to Everton, and I can see Harry Kane enjoying plenty of room for manoeuvre. If you think he will celebrate his new deal by scoring in the 90 minutes, he is available at 1.758/11.

Swansea's Fernando Llorente is on a high after his supersub act against Palace, and he's trading at 4.03/1 to score. The Opta stats show that ex-Spurs midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson has scored on two of his last three visits to White Hart Lane as a Swansea player - he is 4.216/5 to score.

Recommended Bet
Back Both Teams To Score at 1.9520/21

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