Leicester City- Tottenham Hotspur
I spoke the lack of pure striking options for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their Audi Cup game with Real Madrid earlier this month ......"Spurs starting their EPL campiagn on Saturday LUNCHTIME, there is no way they can give of their best in both matches and probably not in either. They have arrived with only one out and out striker in Harry Kane and to say that any injury to him would be a disaster is a major understatement. They did add to their defensive options in the summer, but look threadbare, Kane aside, in the striking department and simply have to bring someone in asap , but at present, every potential move is being thwarted.
All teams have brought big squads with them, but Tottenham are short of experience, especially in key offensive areas and will be looking to blood some youngsters, rotate heavily, with 12.45 Saturday in mind and also, as much as possible, protect Kane."
They still have not been able to fully address this problem, although the signing of Clinton Njie will help , whilst Kane is available they will always have goals in them, but they just cannot see the window close without adding another top level striker. They scored twice against Stoke City ( see above) without Kane getting on the scoresheet, but he was pivotal in everything they did offensively and his all round play is improving on almost a game by game basis and his link up play and ability to find space for himself and team mates last weekend was eyecatching. But it is goals that strikers are all about and he will want to kick start his season asap and especially so today, as he spent three months on loan at City at the end of the 2012-13 season when still a teenager. He was up for the league meetings last season and scored four goals in two starts against City, he sat out the cup meeting between the two teams, but all three games went "over", with an average of 4.33 goals and both teams on the scoresheet in each.
Despite the change in head coach at the Foxes, they still look to have goals in them at both ends of the pitch, scoring six and conceding three in taking six points from their two opening games, Claudio Ranieri's start could hardly have gone much better and City also managed to break that London "jinx" last week, with that win at West ham United , ahead of which I wrote .....
"City were also delighted with their opening day result, a 4-2 defeat of a fairly woeful Sunderland team, who did not show up until after the break , but the Foxes have to overcome a dire record in the capital, losing all six EPL matches here last season and going 0-3-17 in London since their last win, they are 1-0-7 at Upton Park and something weird happens to them once they get inside the M25. New boss Claudio Ranieri is not called the tinkerman for nothing and seems undecided about whether to stick with 4-4-2 or go with 3-5-2 this afternoon, feeling he needs an extra body in midfield and he is on the look out for at least one midfielder before the transfer window closes. He will need some extra help to deal with new United signing Dimitri Payet who has continued where he left off last season at Marseille and he now has 13 assists in his last 13 starts and will be the man to watch this afternoon."
Payet got a goal, but could not save his side from defeat and the Hammers simply did not do enough with the huge amount of possession they enjoyed, City cannot continue to give up that much of the ball and their natural instinct is to drop very deep when defending and good teams are going to punish them. I favour goals with both teams scoring and am going to go with the bigger handicap.
over 3 goals 2.38 asian line/Sportmarket.
I spoke the lack of pure striking options for Tottenham Hotspur ahead of their Audi Cup game with Real Madrid earlier this month ......"Spurs starting their EPL campiagn on Saturday LUNCHTIME, there is no way they can give of their best in both matches and probably not in either. They have arrived with only one out and out striker in Harry Kane and to say that any injury to him would be a disaster is a major understatement. They did add to their defensive options in the summer, but look threadbare, Kane aside, in the striking department and simply have to bring someone in asap , but at present, every potential move is being thwarted.
All teams have brought big squads with them, but Tottenham are short of experience, especially in key offensive areas and will be looking to blood some youngsters, rotate heavily, with 12.45 Saturday in mind and also, as much as possible, protect Kane."
They still have not been able to fully address this problem, although the signing of Clinton Njie will help , whilst Kane is available they will always have goals in them, but they just cannot see the window close without adding another top level striker. They scored twice against Stoke City ( see above) without Kane getting on the scoresheet, but he was pivotal in everything they did offensively and his all round play is improving on almost a game by game basis and his link up play and ability to find space for himself and team mates last weekend was eyecatching. But it is goals that strikers are all about and he will want to kick start his season asap and especially so today, as he spent three months on loan at City at the end of the 2012-13 season when still a teenager. He was up for the league meetings last season and scored four goals in two starts against City, he sat out the cup meeting between the two teams, but all three games went "over", with an average of 4.33 goals and both teams on the scoresheet in each.
Despite the change in head coach at the Foxes, they still look to have goals in them at both ends of the pitch, scoring six and conceding three in taking six points from their two opening games, Claudio Ranieri's start could hardly have gone much better and City also managed to break that London "jinx" last week, with that win at West ham United , ahead of which I wrote .....
"City were also delighted with their opening day result, a 4-2 defeat of a fairly woeful Sunderland team, who did not show up until after the break , but the Foxes have to overcome a dire record in the capital, losing all six EPL matches here last season and going 0-3-17 in London since their last win, they are 1-0-7 at Upton Park and something weird happens to them once they get inside the M25. New boss Claudio Ranieri is not called the tinkerman for nothing and seems undecided about whether to stick with 4-4-2 or go with 3-5-2 this afternoon, feeling he needs an extra body in midfield and he is on the look out for at least one midfielder before the transfer window closes. He will need some extra help to deal with new United signing Dimitri Payet who has continued where he left off last season at Marseille and he now has 13 assists in his last 13 starts and will be the man to watch this afternoon."
Payet got a goal, but could not save his side from defeat and the Hammers simply did not do enough with the huge amount of possession they enjoyed, City cannot continue to give up that much of the ball and their natural instinct is to drop very deep when defending and good teams are going to punish them. I favour goals with both teams scoring and am going to go with the bigger handicap.
over 3 goals 2.38 asian line/Sportmarket.
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