Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to bounce back from their abject European display when they welcome Bournemouth to the capital this Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou is like a cat who has used eight of his nine lives. The Australian remains in charge despite a sorry display in the Netherlands on Thursday. Spurs were beaten 1-0 by AZ Alkmaar and are now on the brink of elimination in the only competition they have any chance of winning this season.
Postecoglou’s men have now lost 18 games across all competitions during this dreadful campaign – numbers you’d expect from Bournemouth.
Instead, the Cherries appear to have stolen Spurs’ position as European contenders and are well in the race for a top-six finish.
Andoni Iraola’s men slipped to ninth in the Premier League table after Saturday’s results but could climb back into the top five and within a point of Man City if Sunday’s results go their way.
The south coast side have endured a slight dip in form, losing three of their last four Premier League games. However, the Cherries boast a scary away record, winning six and losing one of their last nine away from home.
Iraola has done brilliantly. In fact, he may be doing too well after becoming odds on favourite to become the next Tottenham Hotspur manager. What kind of reward is that meant to be?!
Finding the solution to Spurs’ problems is probably as difficult a task as was overcoming the ‘Curse of the Bambino’. If you’re not familiar with baseball, it took the Boston Red Sox 86 years to end their title drought.
Whatever is wrong at Spurs, we expect it to continue this weekend. But if you want our full prediction, you’ll have to scroll down to the end.
Tottenham Hotspur team news
The big injury news for Spurs concerns Dominic Solanke. The England international marked his return from injury on Thursday but only lasted around 20 minutes. He is expected to miss the reunion with his old employers on Sunday.
Dejan Kulusevski remains out of action due to a foot injury and isn’t expected back until April.
In better news for Postecoglou, Ben Davies and Richarlison are close to making their returns. Whether the Aussie decides to throw them back into action against the Cherries remains to be seen.
There’s also Radu Dragusin. The Romanian is on the mend from an ACL operation which took place last month. His estimated return date is towards the back end of 2025.
Tottenham predicted line up
Bournemouth team news
Bournemouth will be without influential centre-back Ilya Zabarnyi who serves the third game of his suspension.
He will be joined on the sidelines by Enes Unal who is out with a long-term knee injury. Macros Senesi and Julian Araujo are both out with thigh problems while Adam Smith is struggling with his calf.
Ryan Christie is reportedly struggling with his groin, though he has not officially been ruled out of action.
Bournemouth predicted line up
Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth: How to watch and listen
Fans can watch Sunday’s match live across multiple platforms, including Sky Go UK, NOW, Sky Sports Main Event, and Sky Sports Premier League. Radio coverage is available on BBC Radio 5 Live.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth stats
Spurs have won six of their seven Premier League home games against Bournemouth
Following their 1-0 win at the Vitality Stadium, Bournemouth are looking to complete their first ever season double over Spurs.
The Londoners have lost seven Premier League home games this season – their worst return since the 1996/97 season.
Bournemouth have lost three of their last four Premier League games – as many as they had in their previous 18.
Only Brentford’s Gtech Community Stadium has seen more Premier League goals than the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth referee stats
Sam Barrott will be the man in the middle at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The official has taken charge of 17 Premier League games this season and has dished out 73 bookings – an average of 4.3 per game.
His last game was certainly an eventful one as Crystal Palace dismantled Aston Villa 4-1 at Selhurst Park. Meanwhile, his last fixture involving Spurs was back in December as they were beaten 6-3 at home by Liverpool.
This will be his first time officiating a Bournemouth match this season.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Bournemouth prediction
Tottenham have arguably hit their most miserable low of the season after losing in Alkmaar on Thursday.
A Bournemouth side that is firing on all cylinders would undoubtedly pounce on the wounded Spurs. Unfortunately for Iraola, his men have also experienced a recent dip.
See below our prediction for the game…