Alan Hansen’s Premier League Preview: Tottenham v Burnley

Tottenham host Burnley this weekend after suffering back-to-back league defeats to Manchester United and Chelsea. Harry Redknapp will want his side to get back to the blistering form they opened the season with and confidence will have been boosted by a 5-1 win at Preston in midweek. Spurs will be without Ledley King but Michael Dawson lasted 80 minutes and Gareth Bale 90 minutes in the Carling Cup win which will boost the options within the squad.

Defensively Spurs may be lacking as they’ve yet to keep a clean-sheet in 8 matches in all competitions this season but the Clarets have yet to score away from home themselves in the Premier League.

Owen Coyle’s team have been superb at home in winning all 3 of their games at Turf Moor. However, on the road Burnley look fragile after losing in all three games and conceding 9 goals in the process. To be fair to the Clarets, they’ve travelled to three of the most difficult grounds to visit in the Premier League in the Britannia Stadium, Anfield and Stamford Bridge. White Hart Lane is another tough place to get points from especially since Harry Redknapp took over.

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I very much doubt Tottenham will underestimate Burnley this weekend after last season’s Carling Cup semi-final clashes so I’d have to back Harry’s side. After all, Spurs had won 8 consecutive home league games prior to defeat against the champions two weeks ago. Despite the obvious defensive frailties, Tottenham are an extremely potent attacking side. Their 12 league goals after just 6 games is the highest number of strikes they’ve ever managed in Premier League history. This is hardly surprising considering the quality they possess in attacking areas.

Peter Crouch must be pushing for a starting berth after a hat-trick against Preston in midweek. He has hit a shot every 15 minutes this season, a quicker rate than any other player in the top flight. Burnley will be without main striker Martin Paterson which will be a big blow but I wouldn’t be overly surprised if the Clarets did score. The problem for Owen Coyle’s side is I expect Spurs to score a few themselves. Therefore, I’m backing Tottenham to win on this week’s Premier 10 coupon.

Tags: Alan Hansen, Burnley, Premier 10, Premier League, Tottenham

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