Tottenham v Middlesbrough: Back a slim win for Spurs in teatime showdown

"Spurs are unbeaten at White Hart Lane this season."

Back Tottenham to win to nil at 1.91

Tottenham v Middlesbrough
Saturday, 17:30
Live On BT Sports 1

Tottenham

Spurs missed a golden opportunity to cut the gap at the top of the table in midweek, when they drew 0-0 with rock bottom Sunderland.

Though the point was enough to see Tottenham move into second, it was clearly a very disappointing result and raised the question as to whether Spurs have the strength in depth to compete for the title.

With Jan Vertonghen injured and Kevin Wimmer having failed to impress as his deputy, Mauricio Pochettino switched to a back four. This provided an opportunity for Heung-Min Son to impress after his FA Cup brace last weekend, but the South Korean has been frustratingly inconsistent. Summer signings Moussa Sissoko and Vincent Janssen came off the bench, without making the desired impact.

Pochettino suffered another injury when Danny Rose was taken off against Sunderland. He looks likely to join Erik Lamela, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Kieran Trippier on the sidelines, though Hugo Lloris could return after illness.

Middlesbrough

Boro picked up a decent enough point against eighth placed West Brom on Tuesday, but it extended their run without a Premier League win to six matches.

With the Teessiders now only two points away from the relegation zone, Aitor Karanka is under pressure to turn things around. Aside from Leicester, all the other teams fighting against relegation have already changed manager and though Steve Gibson has proved himself to be one of the most patient and loyal owners in the game, Karanka is on thin ice.

He won't have made his position more secure by publicly complaining about the lack of transfer activity at the club during January. Middlesbrough did in fact bring in three senior players, with forwards Rudy Gestede and Patrick Bamford being joined by the Watford midfielder Adlene Guedioura on deadline day.

The new recruits are welcome at a time when Karanka is without several players through injury. Callum Chambers, George Friend, James Husband and Gaston Ramirez are all currently out.

Ref Watch

Mark Clattenburg takes charge of this one. He comes into this match off the back of a controversial decision to award Chelsea a free-kick in their midweek match against Liverpool, from which the league leaders took the lead.

Match Odds

Spurs are the heavy favourites at 1.29, with the at 6.20 and Middlesbrough at 14.00.

Unbeaten at White Hart Lane this season, Tottenham are good value at 1.91 to win to nil, given Boro's struggles in front of goal (they are the division's lowest scorers, with 19). Also worth considering is the 4.60 for the draw half-time/Spurs full-time double result, at a time when Mauricio Pochettino's side are struggling to find fluency in attack.

Over/Under 2.5 Goals

Overs is the favourite at 1.75, with unders out at 2.20.

If Tottenham were at full-strength the overs might look appealing, but they could well struggle to break down a good Middlesbrough defence. Only five teams have conceded less than Boro this season and they have seen under 2.5 goals in three of their last four games.

To Score

Harry Kane is the favourite in this market, but looks a little too short to recommend at 1.72.

Instead look to the Spurs midfield for goals. Dele Alli is 2.40, with Christian Eriksen at 3.30

Recommended Bets

Back Tottenham to win to nil at 1.91
Back the draw half-time/Spurs full-time at 4.60
Back under 2.5 goals at 2.20