Written by Darry Worthington for @Hollywoodbets. Follow them both on Twitter and Facebook now!
Tottenham Hotspur v Monaco | Thursday 10 December | White Hart Lane | 22:05
Tottenham host Monaco in the final round of the Europa League group stage this evening. The hosts go into this game knowing that a solitary point will see them advance as group winners. while Monaco need a win here and will have to hope that Qarabag manage to beat or hold Anderlecht to a draw if they are to qualify for the next round.
Will Spurs advance as group winners or will Monaco sneak into the next round via the back door?
To Win Match (90 Mins)
Tottenham 1/1
Draw 24/10
Monaco 26/10
Tottenham
While Mauricio Pochettino will be elated to see his side top a group that features both Monaco and Anderlecht, the Spurs mentor will be more concerned with the upshot that comes with topping group J. If his charges manage a positive result tonight they will go through to the next round as one of the top seeds, thus avoiding the other sides that finished top of their respective logs.
They will have to get the result without their talismanic centre-forward, Harry Kane. With domestic league and cup fixtures coming thick and fast at this time of year the darling of White Hart Lane is set to be rested for this match. Kane is not the only player who will miss this clash. Midfielders Ryan Mason and Moussa Dembele have been ruled out through injury and illness respectively.
There is a silver lining on the injury front for the North London club however, with both Nacer Chadli and Nabil Bentelab having returned from the treatment table. The duo are likely to play crucial roles in this fixture.
Spurs have an excellent record against French opposition – only being defeated once in the seven times they’ve met a French side. They have also won both of their home ties in the Europa league this season.
Monaco
It has been a rather disappointing year for the team from the French principality. They currently occupy fourth spot on the Ligue one table and are seventeen points behind leaders PSG. Their standing in Europe doesn’t make for better reading – they sit in third spot on the group J log and are in danger of waving goodbye to their European hopes before the 2015/16 football season’s halfway mark.
With their situation as dire as it is, I expect Monaco to come to White Hart Lane with an attacking game plan. Although it won’t really matter how positively they set up, if they can’t find the back of the net. The Red and Whites have only managed four goals in the competition thus far and with the likes of Joao Mouthino and Adama Traore ruled out through injury, their strikers may well find themselves short of a supply line.
Monaco have only managed to win one of their five games in the competition thus far. Their away form has been alright if not magnificent – they managed 1-1 draws in both of their away games.
Verdict: Draw 24/10
With Spurs only needing a point to top the group and Monaco’s recent run of away draws, I think we may well be in for a stalemate at White Hart Lane.
Bet on these matches now at Hollywoodbets.net! Haven’t got an account? Open
