After years of trophy drought, Tottenham fans almost found themselves celebrating a second European title in just four months on Wednesday night. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero both found the net against the continental champions, only for Lee Kang-in and Goncalo Ramos to level things up. The match ended in a penalty shootout heartbreak, with Van de Ven and Mathys Tel missing crucial kicks—Tel, sadly, has since been subjected to racist abuse online.
Despite the gut-wrenching defeat, Thomas Frank’s side showed enough grit and quality in Udine to take plenty of positives into the new season. There’s a sense that the Lilywhites are in much better shape than the squad that limped to a miserable 17th place finish in the Premier League last year.
History is on Tottenham’s side this weekend. They’ve hosted a newly promoted team on the opening day twice in the Premier League era—beating Ipswich Town in 2000 and Aston Villa in 2019. Supporters will be hoping for a similar outcome against Burnley.
But there’s a nagging issue at the back. Spurs haven’t kept a clean sheet in 13 straight league games, their worst defensive run since 2010. It’s a stat that Burnley, known for their organisation under will have noticed but we doubt they can exploit.
Still, Tottenham’s attacking firepower should prove too much for the Clarets. Expect a fast start, with the home side pushing to make a statement after last season’s disappointment. Burnley will likely frustrate for long spells as they are defensive minded, but the hosts should have enough too much the the Premier League newbies to get over the line.
Prediction: Tottenham 2 – Burnley 0
For punters, Tottenham to win to nil looks a tempting angle. If you’re after a bit more value, we think Tottenham will prove to be too good and look reinvograted under Thomas Frank. We see a Tottenham win and perhaps at a cantor.
Betting on https://smarkets.com/
Prediction Sure Thing Tottenham to win @ 1.58
A £10 bet returns £15.80
Prediction For the brave – Tottenham to win and over 1.5 goals @ 1.96
A £10 bet returns £19.60
LAST WEEK:
Prediction Sure thing – Over 1.5 Goals @ 1.33 on SMarkets WON
£100 bet returns £33 profit.
Prediction For the brave – Southampton to win and Over 1.5 Goals @ 2.24 on SMarkets WON
£100 bet returns £124 profit.
