Tottenham Hotspur vs Wolverhampton Wanderers
Date: 29/12/2018
K/O: 15:00
Venue: Wembley Stadium
Referee: Stuart Attwell
For the first time this season, Spurs play back-to-back league fixtures at home as they host Wolves at Wembley Stadium.
Tottenham are in blistering form going into this match, thrashing Bournemouth 5-0 on Boxing Day after running riot at Goodison Park three days earlier in their 6-2 victory over the Toffees. The Lilywhites have a chance to grab some more goals on Saturday as their opponents have kept just one clean sheet in 11 matches.
While Spurs were out working on their goal difference, Manchester City suffered two devastating defeats to Crystal Palace and Leicester City, meaning that Tottenham are now the closest challengers to Liverpool, who are six points clear at the top. Although Spurs have remained six points off the league leaders for much of December, the sudden stall of City has made the title race even more exciting for the fans.
While both Liverpool and Manchester City are still regarded as much likelier than Spurs to be the contenders for the Premier League trophy come May, a victory against Wolves would keep the north London outfit ahead of the Citizens as we approach what is possibly the most important match of the campaign – City versus Liverpool on 3rd January.
It’s rather unjust to pick out and praise an individual player from the Tottenham squad, but Heung-min Son is possibly having his best run of form since joining the club. The 26-year-old has netted seven times in the month of December and with four of these coming within the last six days, it would be no surprise to see him score again on Saturday. The South Korean is certainly making the most of his time in London before he is called away on international duty.
Wolves themselves have picked up three wins in their last five games and a steady trickle of points has kept them among the mid-table pack after suffering a slight dip in form following their impressive start to life back in the top division. The Wanderers are going through a tough run of fixtures but have certainly brought the fight to some of the most challenging opposition this season, taking points from three of the top five this season.
Casting your mind back to early November and you may recall Wolves almost mounting a mighty comeback against Tottenham from three goals down at the Molineux. Although Spurs are arguably in much better form than they were two months ago, Wolves are not one to be walked over and have not conceded three goals in any other match this season.
If they were able to grab an unlikely victory from this fixture, Wolves could potentially climb back up into seventh place, depending on other results around the country. Europa League qualification is certainly a reachable objective this season and would be a monumental achievement considering this is their first spell back in the Premier League since 2012.
The Wanderers have not scored a great deal of goals this season but when they do find the net, one player seems to be instrumental. Raul Jimenez has been involved in 11 of their 20 goals, grabbing five for himself and assisting six. The Mexican is no doubt their biggest threat going forward and Spurs will need to be at their best defensively to keep him out.
Team News
Dele Alli did not feature in Spurs’ Boxing Day match against Bournemouth after picking up an injury following Jordan Pickford’s crunching tackle on him a few days earlier. The Englishman remains a doubt but, with the tight New Years schedule in full flow, he is expected to make an appearance, possibly off the bench.
With Eric Dier, Moussa Dembele and Victor Wanyama out with injuries, Winks and Sissoko will likely continue to convince Pochettino that they are the best men to fulfil the defensive midfielder roles.
Jan Vertonghen also remains out until mid-January with a thigh injury.
Nuno Espirito Santo does not have as many injury dilemmas with most of his squad fit and available. The only real concern is for Diogo Jota, who hasn’t played since he picked up his hamstring injury against Bournemouth midway through December. The winger was in good form before this injury and may feature against Spurs, even if only for a short period.
Predicted Starting XIs
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Davies, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Trippier; Winks, Sissoko; Son, Eriksen, Lamela; Kane
Wolverhampton Wanderers (3-5-2): Patricio; Boly, Coady, Bennett; Jonny, Ruben Neves, Saiss, Moutinho, Doherty; Cavaleiro, Jimenez
Score Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2 Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
I don’t believe that Wolves will suffer the same rout that Everton and Bournemouth have received over the festive period, but Spurs have shown such determination and skill that it’s hard to see Wolves getting anything from this match. Further to this, Pochettino’s men have let just one goal in at Wembley this month and will hope to keep Wolves out on Saturday.
