Tottenham v Coventry: Back hosts to enjoy a night they won't four-get

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Monday, 20:00
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Spurs starting to find their feet

Tottenham went into Matchday 7 without a win in any of their previous six Premier League games (D3, L3), leaving them second from bottom in the table. And following Fulham's win over Hull on Saturday afternoon, Roberto de Zerbi's men will kick-off against Coventry on Monday night at the bottom of the table, a position no team wants to occupy.

However, there have been encouraging signs of improvement in recent performances, particularly at home to Aston Villa and away to Manchester United, when Spurs created plenty of chances but failed to make the most of them, especially in the first half of each game.

They were the better side for long periods at Old Trafford and deservedly snatched a late equaliser to rescue a point, while at home to Villa they registered 20 shots, seven of them on target, and could easily have been ahead before the visitors opened the scoring.

With players returning to full fitness and their summer signings beginning to settle in, Spurs look to be finding their feet and should be encouraged by the chances they've been creating of late. It feels like a change of luck, and a win, is just around the corner.

Sky Blues riding their luck

Coventry will travel to north London full of confidence after recording back-to-back Premier League victories, but their remarkable 4-1 win over Newcastle last week perhaps told only part of the story.

The Magpies were hampered by a lengthy injury list but were the better side for long periods, only to be punished for their lack of clinical finishing. Coventry scored four times from six shots on target despite enjoying only 32% possession and recording an inferior expected goals (xG) figure to their opponents.

That victory followed a 1-0 win at Nottingham Forest, where Coventry conceded 24 shots but still came away with all three points.

Frank Lampard's side deserve credit for taking their chances, but they've arguably ridden their luck in both of their wins. They'll need to be more defensively solid if they're to keep an improving Tottenham at bay.

Hosts odds-on to get off the mark

Tottenham will be without the suspended Rodrigo Bentancur for the visit of Coventry, though having been only a substitute at Old Trafford, he may well have been a non-starter regardless.

Despite Bentancur's absence, Spurs look to have their strongest available squad in a long time. Even Dejan Kulusevski could be available for this one, though he's extremely unlikely to start if passed fit.

So I'm not surprised that, with a strong squad of players available, and on the back of some really good performances - if not results - that Spurs are odds-on at 40/851.47 to win on Monday night.

To some, that price might look extremely short for a team that is yet to win a league game this term, but we have to factor in that they're playing at home to a newly-promoted club that started the season with four defeats in four games, scored zero goals and conceded 10!

And although the Sky Blues won their last two games, I think they were quite fortunate against Forest and extremely flattered by the scoreline against Newcastle.

Having said all of the above, I'm not into tipping short odds-on shots as singles. I'm confident Spurs will get their first win of the season, but I'll be looking elsewhere for my bets. If you disagree, then Coventry can be backed at 11/26.50, while the Draw is available at 18/54.60.

Back Spurs to turn chances into goals

If Spurs do get their first win of the season, I can see them doing it in style, which brings Tottenham goals markets into play.

Against Villa, De Zerbi's men eventually scored twice. They had one ruled out for a marginal offside, and they really should have scored one or two from open play in the first half. Against United it was a similar story, they dominated the first 30 minutes and could have scored a few times in that period alone.

So Spurs could easily have scored three or four goals against both Villa and Manchester United, given the chances they created. If they reproduce that attacking performance against the Sky Blues, and finally get a bit of luck in front of goal, I can see them finding the net at least three or four times.

I was hoping to see Tottenham's team-goals Over 2.5 market (three or more goals) priced at around 7/42.75, but it's just 6/52.20, so I'm dismissing that bet on price alone.

But given the Betfair Sportsbook is only going 6/52.20 for three or more goals then I was expecting no more than 5/23.50 for four or more goals. It's 4/15.00 and I think that's a belting price.

I know it's a big leap of faith to expect a team that has failed to win a league game to suddenly go out and score at least four goals, but as mentioned already, there have been plenty of signs of improvement of late and I really don't think Coventry are a great side. There's a reason they're still the joint-shortest priced team in the Relegation market!

Already this season, the Sky Blues have conceded three goals to Arsenal, three to Aston Villa and five to Brighton. Given those numbers and Tottenham's recent improvement, I believe 4/15.00 for Spurs to score four or more goals is a price well worth chancing.

Spurs win with Savio Kudus and Solanke to score or assist Bet Builder

As already mentioned, I'm confident Tottenham can get their first league win of the season on Monday night, scoring a few goals in the process, so let's try a 5/23.50 Bet Builder with both Savio and Dominic Solanke to either score or assist.

Savio's numbers don't make particularly compelling reading at first glance. However, the Brazilian winger is likely to start and offers a dangerous attacking outlet as De Zerbi's side begin to find their feet. With Spurs creating more chances in recent weeks, this is a big chance for Savio to register a goal involvement.

Solanke is another obvious player to include, particularly after his performance at Manchester United. The striker scored a late equaliser at Old Trafford after admitting he could have scored two or three more. If he keeps getting ino the right positions, he's a strong contender for a goal or an assist.

EDIT (11:00 Monday 19 October): Since this preview went live, Tottenham's Savio was ruled out of tonight's match with an injury. So instead of backing the bet builder described by Mike above, we recommend simply replacing Savio with Mohammed Kudus as the Ghanian should carry the same threat for Spurs. So here's the revised Bet Builder:

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