English Premier
2005-08-20 - Tottenham H vs Middlesbrough
A Sports Betting Pick by Gooner
I got a lot of flak on the site last week by a few irate Pompey fans for taking Tottenham to beat Portsmouth at Fratton Park. They suggested that I travel a bit further south than Woolwich in order to see good football ... :-)LAST WEEKEND
But Tottenham did deliver the goods winning 2-0, despite being without both Edgar Davids and Ledley King. Pompey competed well in patches but really do seem to lack a quality striker and in the end Tottenham could have won by a bigger margin.
Meanwhile Middlesbro had to get stuck in after going a man down against Liverpool, but although they battled hard it really was an ordinary performance.
Boro did get a 0-0 draw, but they were thankful for quite a bit of wasteful Liverpool finishing.
HEAD TO HEAD
White Hart Lane doesn't really hold any fears for Middlesbro.
The visitors have played six matches here in the last five years (including a cup game) and the results are split 2-2-2.
Boro have tended to beat Spurs in game being played at the Riverside, winning the last three in a row there, although the last two were narrow 1-0 victories.
GAME SITUATION
Tottenham look to be as good as I've seen them in the last dozen years, and this might be the season that they actually seriously challenge for a top six spot after Christmas.
There is a lot of good young players there right now, although they seem intent on buying every young English midfielder mentioned in the press, with Jermaine Jenas the latest rumour.
As for Steve McClaren as his Boro side, there is a wee feeling that we might have seen the best that he can get out of a limited budget. Perhaps with 11 men this Saturday we might see a bit more enterprise.
THE VERDICT
I'd like to say that Spurs are a confident pick, but they're not because this is still Tottenham after all, and they've got an almost perverse ability to flop just after they've got their fans excited.
Still, the Spurs usually are value for a couple of early wins on the trot at the start of the season, and this match could continue the trend.
There is an under 2.5 goals trend for this game, but I expect more adventure from Boro who were slated for being too defensive and this Spurs side are more likely to go forward at home too.
So I'll go for Tottenham to win in a single bet, but keep them out of your combos at this stage as they're still very much an untested combination.
The Pick :
Tottenham to win 2-1
