Saturday 13th January 2018 Kick off 1730hrs Tottenham v Everton Football – England – Premier League Tottenham and Everton came into this season with huge expectation of it being a successful one. Spurs’ second place finish last term meant they were aiming once again to be challenging for the title whilst Everton’s huge financial outlay meant that their supporters, and owners, were looking to break into the top four and the opportunity to play Champions League football. As the season moves into the second half it hasn’t quite transpired like that and both will be disappointed with how their league campaigns have went so far. There is plenty of room for improvement between now and the end of the season, however, and both will be looking for the three points on Saturday in a bid to improve on their positions.
The move to Wembley was always going to be a test for Spurs and their hopes of challenging for the title. White Hart Lane was a fortress for them under Mauricio Pochettino, particularly last season when they went unbeaten domestically. Having now played 11 home games in the league at Wembley, their record is not bad but it could be improved upon. Chelsea remain the only visiting team to leave with all three points however four teams have left with a share of the spoils. The most frustrating aspect of those draws will be the fact that three of them have come against teams in the bottom half of the table – most recently against West Ham last week. It’s those dropped points which have proved to be the problem in terms of Spurs trying to position themselves higher in the league compared to the current spot of fifth. Their next three home games could go a long way to deciding just where they finish come the end of the season as they face Manchester United and Arsenal after this weekend’s game with Everton. A comfortable victory on Saturday would be the perfect start to this important period.
Sam Allardyce is slowly making his mark on Everton in the short space of time he’s been manager of the club, but there remains plenty of work to do for the former England manager. Last Friday’s 2-1 defeat away to rivals Liverpool in the FA Cup was a perfect indication of that. Everton were on the backfoot for much of the game but they were resolute and determined when having to defend for long periods. Despite going down they showed enough to get back into the game and looked like they would take the tie to a replay, only to lose a late goal. The attitude and spirit appears to be improving and that is having an impact on the number of goals they are conceding, but they still lack that out and out quality in midfield and further forward to make them more competitive and dangerous in attack. At the end of the day, however, it was a fifth straight game without a win for the Toffees, and a third straight defeat. Allardyce won’t be panicking just yet but he will want to see improvement between now and the end of the season and part of that is the performances against the bigger clubs in the league, of which Spurs are one.
Tottenham v Everton Betting Tip
Tottenham enjoyed one of their best days of the season thus far when these teams last met back in September. A 3-0 victory, thanks in large part to a Harry Kane double, was indicative of where the two sides were at that point and if the bookmakers odds for this one are to be believed, then we can expect something similar on Saturday. Spurs have plenty of goals in them due to Kane’s excellence and being supported with the supply from Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli. It makes them a huge threat for any visiting team once they get on a roll. Allardyce will be well aware of this and will attempt to get his Everton team well set up and look to frustrate their hosts as best they can. The arrival of Cenk Tosun may well see them carry more threat but it’s a big ask for the Turkish striker if he is to make his debut.
It will be a contrast of styles for sure, in this one, and Allardyce will look to do similar to what his former club West Ham done last week when getting a 1-1 draw. Spurs battered the Hammers in that one but they were left frustrated and escaped with a point thanks to a late equaliser. It was also the seventh time in their 11 home games in the league where there has been two or fewer goals scored. When you consider eight of Everton’s 11 away games have also ended in this fashion, the sensible wager on Saturday is to play under 2.5 goals.
Under 2.5 goals 31/25 @ Marathon Bet
