The Spurs, in a heated race for a Champions League spot next
season, entertain Swansea this weekend and we have our soccer pick for the
match ready. With Chelsea finding their form nothing less than 3 points will
do.
Whenever a top club such as Tottenham is at home, you better
believe they'll be favored. The same holds true this Sunday as the Spurs are
-236 win.
The visiting Swans are hefty underdogs, listed as high as
+850 in the soccer odds to capture a surprise away victory. A draw is in and
around the +225 to +250 area.
Swansea City is in pretty good form, having won three of
their last four league matches. That includes a stunning 1-0 home triumph over
Manchester City (Read my Man City vs. Sunderland pick) and another impressive performance in a 3-0 away win over
Fulham at Craven Cottage.
Swans prove they deserve top-flight status
The Swans did however fall short their last time in action,
losing to Everton 2-0 at home. Despite that small setback, it's been a
tremendous season for a team that was just recently promoted. They're currently
tenth in the table.
It may surprise you, but the Spurs have been quite bad in
the league over the last month or so.
They haven't won any of their last five Premier League
matches and have lost to Arsenal, Manchester United and Everton during that
span. More disheartening was a 1-1 draw at home versus Stoke City.
Tottenham did right the ship a little bit with a solid 3-1
victory over Bolton in the F.A. Cup quarter-finals. Ryan Nelsen, Gareth Bale
and Louis Saha scored the goals that sealed up the three points for the Spurs.
With that winning feeling back, I expect Tottenham to come
out playing more confident, as they did earlier on in the season.
The thing about the Swans is that they play the same
attacking brand of soccer no matter the opponent. They're going to give it a
right old go against the Spurs and unfortunately that could expose them harshly
at the back and on the counterattack.
Champions League beckons
Swansea City, as is pretty much always the case, has also
failed to replicate their form from home matches on the road. The Swans have
won only four of 15 matches away from Swansea this season.
On the other hand Tottenham has only lost twice at White
Hart Lane this term, with a goal differential of +17.
The Spurs, who really need to keep their distance ahead of
Chelsea and Newcastle, should be able to snatch a home victory, but expect
plenty of goals in this one either way. With only eight matches remaining, everyone
is of utmost importance.
Tottenham has one of the easiest remaining schedules of any
of the top clubs, with their most challenging fixture probably next week
against Sunderland at the Stadium of the Light. It'd be fantastic for Harry
Redknapp's crew to gain some more momentum going into that one, and I think
they'll do just that.
Soccer Picks: Tottenham 3 Swansea City 1