Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
It’s Christmas time, and that means the top flight fixtures are coming thick and fast and Premier League: Tottenham vs Wolves is one to get the pulses racing on Sunday.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou is a man who sticks to his principles of fast, free flowing and attacking football and they sometimes cost him, as they did when Spurs took a 6-3 thrashing from leaders Liverpool last Saturday; and then on Boxing Day on a visit to high flying Nottingham Forest they came unstuck again, falling to a 1-0 defeat.
This is a tough time for Tottenham. After they won over fans last season under the affable Aussie, he suggested he’d win a trophy this season, but his team has hit the skids; and they are having their fair share of bad luck in terms of injuries.
Next up they face a team which has had a recent lift following a change at the helm and Wolves are on a ‘new manager bounce.’ Vitor Pereira arrived at Molineux on the 19th December to replace the sacked Gary O’Neil and he watched his new team beat Leicester 3-0 at the KingPower before returning home on Boxing Day to meet Manchester United where they picked up another impressive three points to climb out of the relegation zone.
Talking points
Tottenham’s woes continue
Postecoglou’s Spurs have suffered a humbug of a Christmas and it doesn’t seem to be getting any more cheerful any time soon. A trip to Nottingham with a depleted squad on Boxing Day was hardly the festive treat Spurs fans wanted and they left the Midlands empty handed. Tottenham had a whopping 70 per cent possession against Forest but they couldn’t breach a resilient defence, brilliantly set up by former Spurs manager Nuno Espirito Santo, while at the other end of the pitch Antony Elanga struck the winner for the hosts.
To make matters worse Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin was injured and, in injury time, Djed Spence picked up a red card to leave Spurs without a recognised centre back. Spurs fans will hope their luck is about to change and the pre-match Tottenham vs Wolves betting odds are pointing firmly at a home win… but momentum is against the Whites and they play a side on the up.
Can Pereira get the best out of Wolves’ talented stars?
In my opinion O’Neil did a good job at Wolves last season, as he had previously at Bournemouth, but four defeats on the bounce, which left the Wolves in 19th position in the Premier League saw the owners wield the axe. Portuguese coach Pereira was the man on their radar and he signed a one and a half year contract following Wolves’ 2-1 defeat to fellow strugglers Ipswich Town. Wolves are faced with an £800,000 bill in terms of compensation to Pereira’s former club Al Shabab; but the board will believe that’s great value already after the team has picked up six points in the week since he took over. He has some quality players at his disposal and if the new manager can get a tune out of them then Wolves will have a great chance of survival. Striker Matheus Cunha scored in the 3-0 win over the Foxes and then scored one, to make it ten for the season, and he made an assist for Hwang Hee Chan as Wolves beat Manchester United 2-0 on Boxing Day.
Jorgen Strand Larsen (who had a goal narrowly ruled offside against the Red Devils) has scored six goals this season and attacking midfielders Goncalo Guedes, with four assists, and Rayan Ait-Nouri are both potential match-winners.
These are early days but things are certainly looking up at Molineux.
History
Spurs have won ten of the 21 meetings with Wolves, losing eight and drawing three; but
The Midlanders have won the last three encounters, including a double last season when they won 2-1 at Molineux and at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
With two wins and four defeats from the past six Wolves are improving, meanwhile Spurs have two wins, one draw and three defeats; but the Whites are on the slide.
Betting tip
Tottenham are at SBOTOP odds of 1.43 to beat the Wolves who can be backed at odds of 4.84 to win or 4.50 to draw.
I’m not saying the Tottenham vs Wolves highlights won’t be entertaining, I just think the tension may creep in for two sides at a pivotal time in their campaigns. Neither will want to lose, of course, and Wolves would be delighted with another positive result in their manager’s third game at the club.
For an alternative bet, the Double Chance: Wolves to Win or Draw is priced at 2.50.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT))
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
●●●
CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS
Stay updated with everything sports and betting.
Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
