2pts Tottenham to win to nil at 13/8 (Sky Bet)
Tottenham's 2-1 loss to West Ham last weekend was a desperately disappointing display — a fifth defeat in their last six Premier League games.
Granted, taking nothing from Liverpool, Brighton, Chelsea, Manchester City and an overachieving West Ham is not completely disastrous given the calibre of opposition, but the sheer manner of the defeats is a sticking point.
José Mourinho has come under increasing pressure as a result, and deservedly so. Steven Railston looked at the underlying numbers behind the recent decline in his process, but a comfortable advancement to the next round of the Europa League may have cut Mourinho some slack.
This has quickly become a must-win game for Spurs, who could drop into the bottom half of the table if results don't fall their way.
Their last home league game against an admittedly dire West Brom offers hope that they can build on their midweek confidence-booster. Spurs dominated that game, limiting Sam Allardyce's side to very little in attack.
A similar performance could get their Premier League campaign back on track, and the fact they were able to rest some regular starters against Wolfsberger means they enter this game relatively fresh.
I think they'll take full advantage.
Burnley appear to be marginally good enough to survive the drop (again), sitting six points above the relegation zone in 15th place.
However, it's worth remembering just how poorly they have performed on the road this season. Despite gaining 12 points, the Clarets have found it extremely difficult to trouble opposition defences away from home.
Sean Dyche's side have just eight goals when playing away, creating chances equating to a measly 0.88 expected goals for (xGF) per game.
They're still without chief threat Chris Wood, too, making TOTTENHAM TO WIN TO NIL a solid proposition at a best price of 13/8 on Sky Bet.
Although they look a solid unit at Turf Moor, Burnley struggle on the defensive side of the ball on their travels, averaging 1.63 xGA (expected goals against) per game. It will be no surprise to see Tottenham gain yet more confidence with a solid league win here.
Score prediction: Tottenham 3-0 Burnley (Sky Bet odds: 10/1)
Odds correct at 1530 GMT on 26/02/21
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