Joe Townsend has a preview and best bets as Burnley host Spurs in Monday Night Football, with Harry Kane and Heung-min Son backed to keep firing.
Recommended bets
1pt Tottenham (-1 goal handicap) to beat Burnley at 15/8 Betfair
1pt Harry Kane to score a goal assisted by Heung-min Son at 9/2 Sky Bet
1pt Heung-min Son to score a goal assisted by Harry Kane at 7/1 Sky Bet
For details of advised bookmakers and each-way terms, visit our transparent tipping record
Burnley v Tottenham
- 8pm BST kick-off on Sky Sports
- Match odds: Home 9/2 | Draw 3/1 | Away 3/5
Burnley battled to a first point of the campaign at the fourth time of asking by securing a goalless draw at West Brom on Monday; the Premier League's first 0-0 of the 2020/21. Both teams had chances at The Hawthorns, so it was probably a fair result and there certainly wasn't enough evidence for me to consider taking the big price on offer for the Clarets to beat Spurs.
Tottenham would be second in the table but for two very different injury-time equalisers. Manuel Lanzini's stunning strike last time out completed a remarkable West Ham comeback, while VAR controversy robbed them against Newcastle.
This fixture is a repeat of the final league match these sides played in front of supporters, a game I happened to attend - not as a fan might I add. The teams were in very different situations then, with Burnley playing superbly and aiming for a top-eight finish, and Spurs beset by injuries and out of form.
Tottenham still managed to fight back and draw that day. Now Jose Mourinho has them playing some wonderful football and Sean Dyche is struggling to get a tune out of Burnley - I cannot see anything other than an away win. How they'll win is difficult to predict though.
Spurs kept their first clean sheet of the campaign at the 10th time of asking on Thursday when they beat LASK 3-0 in the Europa League, evidence of just how much Mourinho has struggled to fix their leaky defence. Perhaps that's why he's loosened up and focused on their strengths instead, as they've racked up 31 goals already in all competitions.
Tottenham to win and both teams to score is available at 5/2 across the board and although I have little faith in the visitors keeping a clean sheet, that's matched by my lack of confidence in a Burnley attack that has registered just one goal in their last four games. Spurs/over 2.5 goals at 6/4 would be a more sensible avenue to go down, but of course the returns are skinnier.
Instead, I am going to trust them to comfortably win by taking Spurs -1 goal handicap at 15/8 with Betfair.
Elsewhere, I'll get straight down to it but refer you to the detailed reasoning that was outlined in this week's Premier League: Punting Pointers.
The Harry Kane/Heung-min Son combination has been quite incredible this season. The Sky Bet prices on them creating a goal for the other has Kane to assist Son at 7/1 and vice versa at 9/2.
I'm taking both because they simply don't reflect the current situation when it's a surprise if there isn't a combination goal from the duo in a match, and by backing both we can cover that eventuality.
Score prediction: Burnley 0-2 Tottenham (Sky Bet odds: 13/2)
Best bets:
Odds correct on 1230 BST (23/10/20)
Follow Sporting Life on social - find us on Facebook here or tweet @SportingLifeFC
Related football content
- What do Liverpool do without Van Dijk?
- City odds-on after Van Dijk injury
- Premier League: Talking Points
- Champions League: Outright preview
- Europa League: Outright preview
- Latest football previews and tips
- Sporting Life App: Android & iOS
Responsible gambling
We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.
Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.
