Tottenham v Brentford preview: Final home game in tough Spurs season
Limping towards the end of the season, their latest defeat against Aston Villa on Saturday (2-1) came after they failed to register a first-half goal attempt, although they nearly rescued a point after seeing a stoppage-time equaliser ruled out!
No longer able to finish in the top four, they could yet miss out on European football entirely next season, especially with the likes of visitors Brentford snapping at their heels.
Spurs will therefore be desperate for a repeat of the last three home H2Hs, all of which they won by a 2-0 scoreline, while Tottenham haven’t actually lost a home H2H since November 1905 (W10, D2)!
But that is unlikely to faze Brentford, who guaranteed a top-ten finish by beating West Ham 2-0 on Sunday, which was their eighth consecutive London derby without defeat in the league (W4, D4).
Manager Thomas Frank described guaranteeing a top-half finish as an “incredible achievement” in just their second PL season, and they could still qualify for Europe.
To achieve that, winning their final away league game of the season is essential, which could prove tricky as the Bees have only won one of their last five PL road fixtures (D1, L3), especially as they’ll have to do it without striker Ivan Toney as he starts an eight-month ban for breaching the FA’s betting rules.
Given this fixture’s recent history, it’s interesting to note that each of their last three away wins in the league came via a 2-0 scoreline – and two of those were in London!
Players to watch: Both of Son Heung-min’s last two goals for Tottenham arrived between the 75th and 80th minute, while after completing the scoring against West Ham, each of Yoane Wissa’s last three strikes for Brentford were the second goal of the game.
Hot stat: Tottenham have the PL’s best second-half record at home this term (2H: W11, D5, L2).
