Sunderland V Tottenham Hotspur Betting: Saturday, 3rd April

Sunderland V Tottenham Hotspur

Saturday, 3^rd April – 15:00 GMT

Sunderland

League Position: 13th

Recent Form: WDWDL 

Sunderland were given a right good pasting at the weekend. A master-class in how to play the beautiful game if you like by Liverpool. The 3-0 scoreline wasn’t a fair reflection on a game Sunderland were rarely involved in. At least not from an attacking point of vein. But they’re back at home this Saturday, at a warm and atmospheric Stadium of Light, and will that prove the difference as they aim to reverse the 2-0 defeat they suffered at White Hart Lane to Tottenham Hotspur earlier in the season.

While Liverpool were sensational last Sunday, Sunderland just weren’t at the races and were fortunate not to have conceded more. The Reds’ had chance after chance as Sunderland’s defence had no answer to the wealth of attacks Liverpool threw at them. Even though defeat was to be expected, it was a bitterly disappointing result as it ended a promising streak of five games without defeat in the league. That was Sunderland’s fourth defeat of 2010 but it’s interesting to see that all four did occur in away fixtures so they should be delighted about returning home.

Sunderland’s home form this season is actually pretty strong, even if it is plagued with too many draws (7-7-2). Only two sides have won at The Stadium of Light this season and they are Aston Villa and Chelsea. However, The Black Cats are unbeaten at home in seven and are on the verge of their first back-to-back home wins since, well, all season. It would be a first for Steve Bruce to win back-to-back games at The Stadium of Light in the Premiership and there are few teams better to do it against than Tottenham Hotspur.

Steve Bruce doesn’t have any fresh injuries concerns, although he will have to raise some lowered heads after that convincing defeat to Liverpool last weekend. Sunderland have had this bounce back ability though this season and have followed a defeat up with victory on four occasions this season, while all four came at home and straight after an away loss, so perhaps there are some omens in Sunderland’s favour. Another is Darren bent scoring five goals in his last three starts at The Stadium of Light.

Tottenham Hotspur

League Position: 4th

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The excitement around White Hart Lane is beginning to grow with every winning league outing and victory on Saturday against a very strong home side in Sunderland would reaffirm Tottenham’s stance as the favourites to clinch a fourth place finish at the end of the season. There are just seven games left to play for Tottenham. Seven games which should they pick up a large number of points would see them go mighty close to completing their season long objective of nailing down Champions League football for a club that strived to avoid the drop for the vast majority of last season.

We really didn’t expect such a strong challenge from Tottenham Hotspur this season. We thought they would make the Champions League frame but expected them to fall by the wayside. That certainly hasn’t been the case and nor will it as out of the four teams still challenging for fourth spot, Tottenham look the superior side in terms of form, while they have the class in numbers to back it up. Their 2-0 win over Portsmouth on Saturday wasn’t a surprising result but it did keep up winning ways as Spurs strolled to their fifth successive league win. They weren’t completely satisfactory but they got the job done and it’s a win that will keep up their high momentum going into a tough away outing up North.

Harry Redknapp, considered a managerial genius around North London by fans only in White, could see his Spurs side win three consecutive away fixtures on Saturday. What would be their longest winning away streak of the season, and what a time to strike one up, right at the business end of the season. They’ve had to show some of their scrappy attributes to get through some tough away ventures in recent weeks, with wins at Wigan Athletic (0-3) and Stoke City (1-2) putting the club within a whisker of three successive away wins. However, have proven to be more vulnerable away from home this season and some might say Tottenham are well overdue an away loss after not suffering one since early in February when they lost 1-0 at Wolves. A result which just about speaks for itself in that Spurs can’t always be relied upon in away fixtures.

Whereas Tottenham had to fight tooth and nail for all three points at Stoke in their last away outing, they will have to produce some class and forward brilliance to outscore Sunderland at The Stadium of Light. Their opponents don’t boast the strongest of defence and so we do see Spurs scoring a few at The Stadium of Light, so the man of the moment could be Heurelho Gomes, whom has had a very good season after a calamity filled last one. The Brazilian goalkeeper has been a big obstacle in the Tottenham and may need to outperform his opposite number, Craig Gordon, in order to have a helping hand in Tottenham securing all three points.

Match Verdict: Sunderland to WIN – 3.80 Coral

For us, even though Tottenham deserve to be the favourites, Spurs are just far too short to be backing at odds of around 6/4 in what is an away encounter against a team which know how to find the back of the net at The stadium of Light. The home side look a stunning piece of value providing they can tighten up their defence and continue where they left off in front of goal, with Darren Bent scoring a brace against Birmingham in his and Sunderland’s last home appearance. The former Spurs striker will be desperate to score against a club, mainly the manager it has to be said, that treated him so badly. Even more so after Bent missed a penalty at White Hart Lane earlier in the season.

We’re lumping on Those Black Cats to land the cream. A victory which would be made all that bit sweeter with a strike from a former Tottenham employee, Darren Bent. A player who apparently isn’t better at finishing than Harry Redknapp’s missus, according to Harry himself. Will Bent finally make Redknapp pay for his childish remarks from last season or will Harry be proved right.

Match Odds:

Sunderland – 3.80 Coral

Draw – 3.40 Boylesports

Tottenham Hotspur – 2.20 totesport

SoccerBetting Value Tip: Darren Bent FGS – 7.00 PaddyPower