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EPL: Bournemouth v Tottenham Preview

EPL-Bournemouth-Tottenham-Preview

Our writer previews the EPL lunch-time kick-off between Bournemouth and Tottenham. 

Few would have expected the avalanche that was Bournemouth last weekend. I have consistently lamented their speed and counterattacking threat, but to score six and dominate a game in the manner that they did, was just spectacular.

Spurs ultimately had to grind out a draw as they extended their unbeaten run this season. They were rather fortunate to scrape through with a draw in Leverkusen on Tuesday night. Having started in the ascendancy, some of their key players wandered into anonymity as the game progressed. This promises to be a thrilling game between two of the league’s most exciting young managers.

Bournemouth v Tottenham | Saturday 22 October | Dean Court | 13:30

To Win (90 Mins)

Bournemouth 28/10 | Draw 5/2 | Tottenham 19/20

Bournemouth 
Bournemouth have settled into a decent run of form and will be massively confident following their 6-1 massacre of Hull City. Junior Stanislas was quite frankly immense in a performance that will no doubt have many eagerly appraising the dynamic forward.

Callum Wilson has also been in good form while Jordan Ibe seems to have found his niche operating in this expansive Bournemouth side. Charlie Daniels, in my opinion, is the most underrated left-back in the league. He will be looking to exploit any space left by Danny Rose; a left-back with the same penchant for bulldozing forward.

Jack Wilshere has settled in reasonably well and will be looking to run circles around Wanyama, who was found guilty of ball hunting against Leverkusen, vacating the space in front of the back four.   Wilshere will look to find himself in those exposed pockets of space as often as possible. This should be interesting tactically, as both teams thrive on receiving the ball in transition. You would expect Spurs to have dominance over the ball, which may very well suit Eddie Howe’s side.

Tottenham 
I wonder if Mauricio Pochettino may tinker with his 4-1-4-1 system. Wanyama was tactically naïve on Tuesday, drifting into useless areas and leaving the back four exposed. He actually brought on Dembele and switched to a more traditional 4-2-3-1 to curb the Kenyan’s rash tendencies.

I think that’s exactly what we will see this weekend. Eric Dier will continue in the heart of defense while Toby Alderweireld recovers from injury. I think that Son Heung-min may also start on the bench. Despite being brilliant in the last month, he looked jaded on Tuesday and hardly registered any impact on the game. I’m certain that Kyle Walker will return to the side as Kieran Trippier had a rather forgettable outing on Tuesday night. Dele Alli is really key for Spurs. He has a tendency to sometimes stand a little still and also has a degree of petulance to his game.

But I honestly think that he is England’s most naturally talented player since Paul Gascoigne. The way he extricates himself from tight situations is breathtaking. With Kane injured, Vincent Janssen’s relationship with Alli will be key in this game. I think Alli may have the beating of the likes of Surman and Arter.



Verdict: Bournemouth (28/10) 
I’m actually going for the Bournemouth win at 28/10. No side will go through a season unbeaten, right. Sir Alex Ferguson said it will never happen again in the wake of Arsenal’s invincibles. Bournemouth are playing excellent football and Spurs may feel the effects of the tough European tie this week. And at 14-5 it seems like a pretty interesting bit of speculation.

Written by Damien Kayat @Hollywoodbets

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