Bournemouth face Tottenham this weekend, and while Spurs are the favourites heading into this game, this may not be a straightforward match.
Indeed, Spurs have failed to win in four of their last five matches, and with Bournemouth proving to be rather resolute lately, they could pick up a result here.
Writing in his column for BBC Sport, Chris Sutton has attempted to predict the result of this weekend’s fixture, and while he says he’s unconvinced by Spurs’ recent form, he’s tipped them to get back on track here.
Tottenham 1-0 Bournemouth
Sutton predicted that Spurs would win 1-0 at the weekend and gave his reasoning.
“I was at their draw with Sporting Lisbon on Wednesday but I don’t know which side of Spurs we will see here – the team that toiled for most of the first half, or the one that ended the game so strongly and almost won it,” Sutton wrote.
“It really doesn’t help much that their manager Antonio Conte keeps sending out a message about them being tired, because their players might believe him. They now need a point against Marseille on Tuesday to reach the last 16 of the Champions League so they have to rotate here, and the pressure is on Conte to get that right.
“It depends who plays – and I am really not convinced by Spurs from what I’ve seen of them lately anyway – but I think this one might go the same way as their last visit to the south coast, a 1-0 win at Brighton at the start of October.
“Tottenham weren’t great that day either, but they found a way to win.
“The Cherries need something here and with my record of predicting their results this season, it is probably good news for them that I am saying they will lose.”
Unconvincing
As much as Spurs would welcome three points from anywhere right now, a 1-0 win at Dean Court would not be the most convincing of results.
Bournemouth have been widely tipped for relegation this season, while Spurs are hoping to challenge for major honours, so one would expect a much larger margin of victory here.
However, with Spurs in such poor form, it’s hard to predict that they will blow Bournemouth away here, and while a 1-0 win would be welcomed, it wouldn’t appease every Spurs supporter out there.
Tottenham need a convincing win to get themselves back on track.
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