Next Sunday, 29 December, 2013 (8:00 AM Pacific), Stoke City will travel to White Hart Lane to face Tottenham in the last match of the year for both teams. The match is very important for both teams if one considers their disappointing performances on Boxing Day. The Spurs started well but conceded a draw at home against West Bromwich Albion, while Stoke City had a nightmarish afternoon at St James’ Park, suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat at the hands of Newcastle.
New Tottenham’s boss, Tim Sherwood, is living a bumpy “honeymoon” at the club after the departure of André Villas- Boas. With just one win in three official matches, Tim Sherwood is yet to convince the Spurs’ supporters that he is the right man to lead the team.
Tottenham has several players in doubt for next Sunday’s match. Moussa Dembélé, Andros Townsend, Sandro and Younes Kaboul will probably miss the match, while Aaron Lennon and Jan Vertonghen are definitely sidelined due to injury.
There are, however, some good news for Tim Sherwood. The Brazilian international midfielder, Paulinho, is back after a three match ban due to his red card against Liverpool.
Tottenham has been far from being impressive during their matches at White Hart Lane so far this season. Tim Sherwood brought new ideas and a new tactical scheme. The team returned to a classical 4-4-2 but there hasn’t been much improvement yet and they have plenty of work ahead of them to implement this new tactical style.
As for Stoke City, the Boxing Day match is something that they will want to forget quickly. The Potters were trashed at Newcastle and they had two players sent off within three minutes’ time. The team’s boss, Mark Hughes, will have plenty of players sidelined and lots of headaches for next Sunday’s match. Glenn Whelan and Mark Wilson, who were sent off at St. James Park, are definitely out of the match and Robert Huth is also out, since he is recovering from a complicated knee surgery. To make things worse for Stoke City, their goalkeeper, one of the team’s most important players, Asmir Begovic, will surely miss next Sunday’s match since he broke his finger during training this week and according to recent reports he will be out for at least six weeks.
Tottenham vs Stoke City Prediction
Tottenham has tradition on their side when one looks at their previous home matches against Stoke. The Spurs only allowed the Potters to win twice at White Hart Lane in 38 matches. However, the team’s recent unconvincing performances against teams that privilege the counter attack are up against them and Stoke City is one of such teams when they play away from home. That being said, the most likely outcome is 1-1.
Tottenham vs Stoke City TV Schedule
The match will be televised on DirecTV on December 29, 2013 at 8:00 AM Pacific.
Tottenham vs Stoke City Highlights
All Goals – Tottenham 3-0 Stoke City – 29-12… by The-Best-Games
