Mark Lawrenson has made his prediction for Tottenham Hotspur’s next Premier League fixture against Bournemouth and he does not expect things to play out how they usually do.
The story of Tottenham for over a month now has been to take one step forward and another step back. A free-flowing performance in the Premier League, where they have put their opponent to the sword has consistently been followed up by a lacklustre display which has resulted in dropped points.
Spurs have only managed to win two consecutive league matches once all season, when they beat Brentford and Manchester United in September, and they have picked up just 48 per cent of the points available to them since their 3-0 victory at Old Trafford.
One of the biggest concerns has been the nature of the teams they have been defeated by, which have included Crystal Palace and Ipswich Town, both of whom were in the relegation zone before they played Tottenham. Bournemouth, on the other hand, have enjoyed some of their recent fixtures against England’s big guns, beating Arsenal and Manchester City and drawing with Aston Villa.
Lawrenson has made the point that there is very rarely a middle ground in how well Tottenham play, but he expects this could change against Bournemouth.
Making his prediction on Paddy Power, he said: “With Tottenham, we know what it’s like – heads, they’re really good, tails, they’re awful. It was a bit of a mixture of both at the weekend. I’ll go for a draw between these two. It’s not Tottenham’s kind of result – it’s either win 4-0 or get beaten 4-0 for them.
I love how they can play at their best, and I love the manager because he just tells it like it is. But I fancy Bournemouth 1-1 Tottenham.”
Although draws have been less common for Spurs this season, their previous two matches in all competitions against Roma and Fulham have both ended level.
While Lawrenson makes a valid point about Spurs either playing very well or poorly, saying they win or lose 4-0 is not even close to the truth. While Spurs have recorded two 4-0 wins this season, their losses have been close and they have not lost by more than a goal in any competition this campaign.
His conclusion, however, has the potential to be accurate. Although five teams sit between Tottenham and Bournemouth in the Premier League table, just two points separate the sides, so Spurs cannot afford to underestimate their hosts. It would not be a surprise if the game was a closely fought contest.
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