Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Tottenham Hotspur FC
Spurs face possibility of falling further behind as they clash with tough Wolves side
Wolves 1-1 Tottenham
With Liverpool continuing to power on at the top of the table, Tottenham face falling further behind the pack as the face a Wolves team who, despite not being in great form themselves, usually pull out a big performance when it matters.
Spurs have won just one of their last five league matches, in a poor spell of form which comes after they topped the league table for four consecutive weeks.
Jose Mourinho will not be pleased in the way which his side have dropped off the boil, losing their last two matches after going 11 league matches unbeaten, seeing off the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea during that period.
Wolves have dropped out of the top half of the table and need an injection of life into them after three defeats from their last four matches.
This could be a cagey affair, with neither side wanting to lose again.
Form Guide (all comps): WLLWL
Reasons to be cheerful:
Have a great record against the big sides
Won their last fixture over Spurs
Reasons to be fearful:
Tough fixture schedule could move them further down table
Still without important players including Jimenez
Wolves have lost three of their last four in the Premier League and have slipped to 11th in the table as a result.
They’ve suffered all season from not scoring enough goals to win matches, this being especially true in the past few weeks when they’ve been without Raul Jimenez to a long-term head injury.
Neto and Podence have performed reasonably well up front in his absence, but their seven goals combined is not enough to win matches on a regular basis. Adama Traore has lost his place recently due to poor form in front of goal, without netting or assisting in the league this season.
This being said, Wolves are still a tough side to beat, and usually come alive in the matches against big sides, having beaten Chelsea and Arsenal in recent meetings.
Star Man – Pedro Neto
Has four goals and two assists for Wolves this season. Not enough to make him a top striker, but enough to keep Wolves in the hunt for European places.
Form Guide (all comps): WDLLW
Reasons to be cheerful
Reached Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek
Won their last three away games to Wolves
Reasons to be fearful
Winless in three league matches
Overreliance on Kane and Son is starting to backfire
Tottenham have tailed off recently after topping the Premier League table for four weeks, and after going 11 matches undefeated, have now lost two on the bounce.
Their style of play has been very effective for most of the season, especially against the big sides – by sitting back and hitting effectively on the counterattack, Spurs have seen off most sides in blistering style.
However, Leicester looked a class above last weekend, winning 2-0, with defeat to Liverpool and draw against Crystal Palace coming before.
Kane and Son have between them scored 20 of Spurs’ 25 goals this season, an incredible amount, but it does beg the question of who will score for them if they do not?
Wolves will not present too many chances for Spurs, and the North London side will have to play a little more proactively than in previous matches this season.
Star Man – Harry Kane
Is one of the best strikers in the world and Spurs rely heavily on his goals and assists. Needs to continue great form over busy the Christmas period
Could be a game of few chances
Both sides will be desperate to avoid defeat
Spurs slight favourites but could end as a draw
Jose Mourinho will not want to lose three league matches on the bounce, and will set his side up to make sure that’s the case.
As a result, this could be a close affair with neither side really steaming forward to create chances, especially as Wolves have been struggling to create many of late anyway.
A draw is a likely result, with the possibility of a single-goal winner if either side finds a moment of quality.
Wolves 1-1 Tottenham
