Reading v Tottenham: Spurs are Already Luka-ing to the Future But are the Royals Staring at Relegation?
The Royals are the last of the recent list of current relegation strugglers to face a Tottenham side who look like they’re already dreaming of a summer on the beach. Spurs have faced the likes of Middlesbrough, Wigan and Bolton in the last 3 games without winning or losing to any of them. Therefore, Premier 10 players should expect a similar outcome from the trip to the Madejski Stadium this weekend.
Expect Spurs to be Busy in the Summer
Tottenham players and fans are already focussing on events in the summer rather than their remaining Premier League games. The club announced the exciting signing of Croatian playmaker Luka Modric last weekend and with various world stars on Spurs radar this should be an exciting time for the supporters. However, events on the pitch in recent weeks certainly don’t point to a bright future. Juande Ramos’ Tottenham side haven’t won in 5 games (4 draws and 1 defeat) and have now drawn the last 4 games 1-1 despite taking the lead in 3 of those games. They’ve now dropped 33 points from winning positions this season which is the joint highest in Premier League history. Therefore, you’ll never see Spurs fans feeling totally at ease whenever leading this season. The fact that they’ve struggled in recent weeks against a number of the sides currently involved in the relegation battle doesn’t bode well for this match. Since the Carling Cup success Spurs have lost to Birmingham and drawn with Boro, Wigan and Bolton so don’t expect Tottenham to blow away the Royals this weekend. After all, apart from a win at Derby, Spurs have not won in their last 8 games on the road (5 defeats).
No Wins, No Goals, No Hope for Royals?
Steve Coppell’s team has been laid low with second season syndrome for much of the campaign. Despite an impressive opening day 0-0 draw at the Champions there have been far more downs than ups for Reading fans this season. The Royals have slumped back into relegation form after a brief revival in March when the team picked up 3 wins in a 4-match spell. However, they’ve now gone 5 matches without a win (3 defeats) as well has 5 games without a goal. Luckily for Reading they face a Spurs side with a poor defensive record so don’t be surprised if the home side grab a goal or maybe even two.
Only one of these team’s will be motivated for this match so despite the lack of quality and confidence within the home ranks I don’t expect them to lose. Tottenham may be going through the motions in the final few weeks of the season but they still possess plenty of quality. I would expect them to score, after all they’ve scored 9 goals in 3 games with Reading so far this season including six in the 6-4 home League win in December. However, the Royals need points with 2 games remaining so yet another Tottenham draw is on the Premier 10 cards.
Pundit’s Pick: Yet another Spurs stalemate (draw) Do you agree with this result for your Premier 10 prediction? Play Now>>
Tags: Premier 10 preview, Premier League, Reading, ROyals, Spurs, Tottenham Hotspur
