Stat Attack: Tottenham vs Sunderland

Tottenham will want to put last weekend’s 4-0 defeat to Liverpool behind them as they welcome struggling Sunderland to White Hart Lane.  Spurs go into this game in need of a win if they are to have any realistic chance of Champions League football next season.  Tim Sherwood’s men have got just 1 point from their last 8 against the top four so they will want to seize this opportunity to gain a much needed 3 points.

Spurs fans will be relieved that Emanuel Adebayor is set to return after a heel injury, which saw him sit out of 3 games including their loss at Anfield last weekend. Adebayor has experienced a renaissance under Tim Sherwood and is Tottenham’s top scorer this season with 8 goals in 15 games.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has had 15 out of a possible 22 shots on target, that’s a shot accuracy rating of 68.2%.

Nacer Chadli created the most chances for Tottenham last weekend but couldn’t spark his team into a comeback like that of the week before when Spurs overcame a 2-0 defecit to beat Southampton 3-2.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he made 31 attacking contributions (shots on target, passes, dribbles and crosses) bringing his season total to 364.

Spurs Skipper Dawson will be hoping to have a better game against the Black Cats this week.  Dawson made 10 defensive contributions (tackles won, interceptions, blocks and clearances) but , soon after coming on as a substitute, gifted the ball to Suarez who doubled Liverpool’s tally. The EA SPORTS Player Index shows that the Englishman has made 358 defensive contributions this season.

Sunderland will want to put their Premier League survival campaign back on track this weekend when they travel to White Hart Lane.  The Black Cats are currently 19th in the table, 1 point above bottom club Fulham and 4 points from safety.  Although they have 2 games in hand on the other sides in the relegation zone, Sunderland face teams from the top 6 in their next 4 games so must seize every opportunity they are given.

Adam Johnson looked to have put his side back in the match last week against West Ham.  The former Manchester City player scored with 25 minutes left on the clock but couldn’t spark his team into finding another.  The Englishman is Sunderland’s top scorer this season with 7 goals in 27 Premier League appearances.  The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index shows that he has found the target 13 times out of a possible 30 times; that’s a shot accuracy rating of 43.3%.

Ki Sung-Yueng will be Sunderland’s best chance of breaking down Tottenham’s defense.  Ki has made 587 attacking contributions (shots on target, crosses, dribbles and interceptions) in 25 appearances.

Former Manchester United defender John O’Shea will make it his responsibility to contain Adebayor who will return for Spurs this weekend.  The Irish defender has made 226 defensive contributions (tackles won, blocks, clearances and interceptions) this season and has won 34 out of a possible 44 tackles made; that’s a 77.3% tackle win percentage.

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