Chris Sutton has made his prediction as Tottenham Hotspur host AFC Bournemouth and he is expecting both sides to pose attacking threats.
Tottenham have had a mixed bag of results recently. They were on a three-match winning streak in the Premier League before suffering defeat at the hands of Manchester City in their most recent league fixture, but their results in other competitions have been poor.
Tottenham’s defeat on Thursday against AZ Alkmaar means they have lost their past three matches in cup competitions, scoring only one goal in the process, whilst conceding seven.
With Spurs lacking consistency, they have become a difficult team to predict. However, the Lilywhites usually either win or lose, having not drawn in the league since December against Wolves.
Chris Sutton predicts a draw in Tottenham’s next Premier League fixture
Despite the fact there is usually a winner and a loser when Tottenham play, Chris Sutton has predicted a draw this weekend as they take on high-flying Bournemouth.
There is much to consider ahead of the clash, with Sutton mentioning the distraction of the Europa League and positive injury news as factors which could come into play.
Making his prediction on BBC Sport, he said: “There has been talk about Tottenham wanting Andoni Iraola as their next manager if they sack Ange Postecoglou. His stock is very high at the moment, but the Bournemouth boss will just be focused on trying to secure a top-five finish.
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“Spurs’ season is really all about how they do in the Europa League now rather than their league position.
“They do have some of their big-hitters like Dominic Solanke, Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero coming back from injury, but the question is how match-sharp will they be, and also how much Thursday’s tie with AZ Alkmaar will take out of them.
“Bournemouth have already beaten Spurs once this season, winning 1-0 on the south coast in December.
“The Cherries play forward quickly and I am expecting them to cause Spurs more problems this time. There will definitely be goals in this, but I reckon Tottenham will score a couple too.”
Sutton’s prediction: Tottenham 2-2 Bournemouth
Spurs should not take risks with injured players
Dominic Solanke is now an injury doubt for Sunday as he feels sore due to receiving a ‘knee in the backside’ against AZ Alkmaar. The news on Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven is more positive, but both players have previously returned from injury and immediately been sidelined again.
As Sutton has mentioned, Tottenham’s priority should be the Europa League and things are not looking good after their first-leg result in the Netherlands. No player returning from injury should be entering the pitch this weekend unless they are 100 per cent fit to play.