Premier League: Big Chance, and a Big Test for Spurs

Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur

All the talk in the Premier League has been around Liverpool’s hopes of holding Manchester City off in the title race, but Spurs isn’t out of the hunt just yet.

With City playing in the Carabao Cup this weekend and Liverpool facing the in-form Manchester United on Sunday, Mauricio Pochettino’s men can close in on the leaders with a win over Burnley at Turf Moor. Make no mistake, Premier League: Burnley vs Spurs isn’t a guaranteed three points for Spurs, but it’s a great chance.

If Spurs can follow up four wins with a victory in Burnley they will climb to within just two points of the leaders, and that will lift the SBOBET Premier League 2019 to new heights of intrigue. But this corner of East Lancashire can be one difficult place to win, and with Burnley back to their old selves Spurs have a battle on their hands.

Talking Points

Captain Tom is Burnley’s heartbeat

After a difficult start to the season, with fixtures congested by the Europa League, the Clarets’ return to form has coincided with the recall, after a long injury, of goalkeeper and club captain Tom Heaton. Burnley is the only club ever to have had three England keepers on its books. Injuries to Heaton and Nick Pope led Sean Dyche to call on Joe Hart in the summer and he held the goalie’s jersey until the turn of the year.

After a seven-match unbeaten run, Heaton is eyeing a return to the England set-up and that puts more pressure on Everton’s Jordan Pickford, who is having a difficult time. Heaton’s presence seems to have settled the Clarets’ defence which, in turn, has allowed the attacking players to express themselves. 19-year-old winger Dwight McNeill is getting rave reviews with his dashing runs and superb delivery, and he has been a good supply of ammunition for strike pair Ashley Barnes and Chris Wood, both on seven goals.

Burnley was within seconds of beating Manchester United in January and is still the only side to take points off the Red Devils under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer when both Barnes and Wood were on target.

Spurs take note.

Premier League: Can Tom Heaton and the rest of Burnley stop Tottenham Hotspur? — Tom Heaton in action for Burnley versus Brighton & Hove Albion

King Harry close to a return

Injuries to Harry Kane and Dele Alli led many of us to believe that Pochettino’s men might struggle to keep up the pressure on the leading pair. But this Spurs team has thrived rather than survived without their big players. They simply blew Borussia Dortmund away in a blistering 45-minute spell in their Champions League tie last week.

South Korean star Heung-Min Son has been in irresistible form in recent weeks, scoring his tenth goal in 11 games in the recent 3-1 win over Leicester City as Spurs embarked on a four-match winning run at Wembley.

While Alli is still some way from recovery, Kane is getting near, a month earlier than expected and he could feature on Saturday, most likely starting on the bench and making an appearance if Spurs need a goal.

History

This North vs South clash is a replay of the 1962 FA Cup Final which was a golden era for both clubs, two years after Burnley had won the league, Spurs pipped the Clarets to the post in both League and Cup in ‘62.

Both teams arrive in good form, Spurs with four wins and Burnley unbeaten in seven in the league, but the last time Spurs left home they lost 2-0 to strugglers Crystal Palace.

The Burnley vs Spurs results in recent years have favoured the Whites, with nine wins to Burnley’s three and three draws. The last meeting was the return match at Wembley when Christian Eriksen scored a 91^st minute winner to break Claret hearts.

Spurs have kept a clean sheet in their last three visits to Turf Moor and, amazingly, they haven’t drawn in 30 Premier League games.

Betting Tip

	Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur	Double Chance Burnley or Draw @ 2.06
	February 23, 20:30 (GMT+8)

The Burnley vs Spurs betting odds point to an away win with Spurs at 1.70 to win, Burnley at 4.80 and the draw is 3.70.

This does present a good chance for Spurs to close the gap at the top, but Sean Dyche’s team is fighting tooth and nail to climb away from the danger zone and, once again, they look like the team which finished seventh last season.

Spurs run of league games without a draw has to end sometime and the Clarets will be hard to break down while posing a threat up front, the visitors’ back line will know they’ve been in a game!

The league table says it should be an away win for sure, but the last six league games say otherwise and I don’t think there will be more than a goal in it.

Coming from a loyal Claret…is that head or heart?

Let’s see.