Tottenham have a busy 14 days ahead of them as they prepare for five games in three different competitions.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino
At one stage or another the bigger teams have to contend with a lot of games in a short period of time, and that moment has come early for Mauricio Pochettino and his side. Over the next fortnight Spurs will play five games in three different competitions, and despite three of them being home fixtures they will play in four different stadiums.
With such a hectic schedule you have to wonder what kind of mentality the players and manager have going into such a strenuous run of games, and it begs the question as to whether or not they can maintain a good level of consistency.
Aymen Abdennour celebrates after Dimitar Berbatov scored the second goal for Monaco
Monaco – Home (Champions League)
Tonight sees Spurs kick off their Champions League campaign at Wembley due to White Hart Lane’s capacity being reduced because of work on a new stadium. Having previously made it to the quarter-finals of the competition they’ll have nothing to fear, and they have a squad that is more than capable of picking up the victory.
The club also faced Monaco last season in the Europa League, where they ran out 4-1 winners. They’ll be confident of another triumph considering their strength in comparison to the French side, and the atmosphere around Wembley will surely help to boost the players ahead of the game.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-0 Monaco
Jermain Defoe celebrates after scoring the third goal for Sunderland
Sunderland – Home (Premier League)
In just four days’ time Spurs will be back in Premier League action when they host Sunderland. Both sides have had contrasting starts to the season, which was to be expected as the Black Cats historically have an abysmal record in the opening two months of the campaign.
It’s possible that Pochettino will rest a couple players either in mid-week or on Sunday, and Spurs do have a tendency to drop points to bottom half sides at home. Despite this, they should have enough in them to sneak a one-goal victory as they continue their top four push.
Prediction: Tottenham 2-1 Sunderland
Gillingham’s Bradley Dack (hidden) celebrates scoring their second goal
Gillingham – Home (League Cup)
The Gills have made a confident start to their League One campaign as they find themselves 10th following the first seven games. They’ll thrive on the opportunity to play such a big Premier League side and they’ll pull no punches as they attempt to cause an upset.
Spurs will probably put out some younger names for this clash given the strength of their youth system. If you combine that with putting some experienced players in the starting XI, they should look to see off the challenge of Gillingham with relative ease.
Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Gillingham
Middlesbrough celebrate with the trophy after being promoted to the Barclays Premier League
Middlesbrough – Away (Premier League)
Middlesbrough couldn’t have hoped for a much more positive start to life back amongst the elite as they lie in ninth with just one loss in their first four games. The momentum they’ve carried with them from the Championship alongside the strength of their new signings has seen them leap into the top half.
This will be the first big side that the Boro welcome to the Riverside this season, and they’ll be looking to prove a point at the expense of Spurs. It’ll be a back and forth game and it wouldn’t be that surprising to see the home side take a point from the encounter.
Prediction: Middlesbrough 1-1 Tottenham
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CSKA Moscow – Away (Champions League)
The final game of this five-game stretch takes place in Moscow, where CSKA will look to thwart Spurs in what is bound to be an extremely tough away day for the North London club. Russia is historically known as a difficult place to travel, and considering the miles that Pochettino’s men would’ve already put in it could put them at a disadvantage.
The Russians have made an unbeaten start to their league campaign and show no signs of slowing down, so Tottenham will have to give their all if they want to come away with anything from the match.
Prediction: CSKA Moscow 2-1 Tottenham
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