Premier League: Are Tottenham Still in the Title Race?

Tottenham Hotspur vs Crystal Palace

Now that Tottenham have their final third back in full force, it’s only fair that fans from north London are expecting a strong tail-end run from Ange Postecoglou and his boys, but that’s easier said than done.

Tottenham, with a game in hand, have slipped out of the top four in the Premier League standings and are currently being threatened by Manchester United, who are just three points behind.

It helps that Son and the rest of his outfit will go up against a struggling Crystal Palace in hopes of extinguishing the worry of sliding even further down the table, but not if Oliver Glasner has something to say about it.

The Eagles have moved on from Roy Hodgson and appointed Oliver Glasner as their new head coach. To their delight, Glasner passed his first test with flying colours when the Eagles thrashed Burnley at Selhurst Park.

The new Eagles boss now has a great opportunity to prove that his debut was no fluke and will try to keep the ball rolling against one of the top teams in the Premier League.

Talking Points

Tottenham relying on their final third

It’s never an easy ordeal playing in the Premier League, especially when you’re trying to clinch one of the top spots in the standings.

Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have been trotting up and down the table, and thanks to strong Premier League 2024 results to start the new year, the Spurs found themselves as a staple in the upper echelon of the league for a short stretch, but due to Aston Villa’s push and Wolverhampton’s resilience, Postecoglou and his outfit are now out of the top-four spots in the top flight.

Despite Dejan Kulusevski’s efforts against Gary O’Neil’s Wolves, Tottenham still fell short, losing a pivotal chance to garner much-needed points to stay in the title race.

Their 2-1 defeat against Wolves widens their gap with Aston Villa to five points, while Manchester United are right on their tails, who are just three points behind.

Luckily for Spurs, they have a game in hand due to their postponed match against Chelsea. But even with an extra game in their pockets, Postecoglou’s outfit will need to garner as many points as possible during their tie with Crystal Palace.

Defence could be the Achilles heel for Postecoglou and his team this season, and Tottenham fans could only hope and pray that their potent offence is enough to tally wins in a tough top flight.

The absence of Fraser Forster is becoming a problem for Spurs, as they’ve conceded nine in their last five. It’s evident that rival teams are taking advantage of this, magnified by Brentford, a relegation candidate, who recently scored two goals against Tottenham. So, SBOTOP football fans should expect an aggressive Crystal Palace in their upcoming bout.

Oliver Glasner is off to a good start

A few hours before their tie against Everton last week, Crystal Palace manager, Roy Hodgson, stepped down from his post so the Eagles could “bring forward their plans to appoint a new manager at the end of the season”.

“I understand, given recent circumstances, it may be prudent at this time for the club to plan ahead, and therefore I have taken the decision to step aside so that the club can bring forward their plans for a new manager, as intended for this summer.” the 76-year-old stated.

Shortly after Hodgson’s departure, Crystal Palace appointed Oliver Glasner as the new man at the helm for the Eagles until the end of the 2025–26 season.

Glasner has a winning track record as a head coach. The biggest achievement on his resume is his success with Frankfurt, winning the Europa League in 2022 and finishing as runners-up in the German Cup the following season.

Now, Glasner is faced with his biggest hurdle as a manager: revitalizing a sinking Crystal Palace, who’ve been having a pedestrian performance in the Premier League all season long.

The higher-ups at Crystal Palace expect winning results after signing Glasner, and that’s exactly what happened in his first game with the Eagles.

Glasner immediately made his presence known as they thrashed Burnley 3-0 at Selhurst Park during his debut for the team. Now, let’s see how he fares with one of the top teams in the Premier League.

History

These rivals go way back. Since 1997, Spurs and Palace have played a total of 28 games across all competitions. In those head-to-heads, Spurs have bossed Palace, winning 18 matches, while Palace have six wins and four draws to boot.

In their last five matches, Tottenham won four, and three of those were clean sheets.

These clubs tallied three or more goals four times in their last five, so punters should keep this in mind when looking at this match’s betting lines.

Tottenham fumbled against Wolverhampton in their last Premier League bout with a 2-1 score line. Meanwhile, Palace dominated Burnley 3-0 during Glasner’s debut match last week, so momentum is on the Eagles’ side coming into their Matchday 27 tie.

Betting Tip

As expected, the Premier League 2024 betting odds have Tottenham as the favourites at 1.47, while the rejuvenated Eagles are the underdogs at 5.30 with a draw price of 4.25.

Spurs at 1.41 is the way to go in terms of their main lines, but it doesn’t offer enough value and excitement, in my opinion.

Instead, punters might want to consider Tottenham’s Asian Handicap of -1.00 at 1.83. This goes hand in hand with their main lines, suggesting Spurs will be the outfit to come out of the match as the victors. A price of 1.83 should hold enough value for punters to consider.

As stated above, Spurs are currently relying on the potency of their final third to win games, which is why my betting tip is goals over 3.00 at 1.88. To make things even sweeter, Crystal Palace look rejuvenated after a 3-0 victory over Burnley, so it’s not a tall ask to expect the Eagles to score a goal or two against Tottenham.

 

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