Mark Lawrenson has backed Tottenham to emerge with all three points from the Brentford Community Stadium on Saturday.
Spurs went into the clash against Brighton last weekend having won six out of their last seven Premier League games and were on fire in front of goal.
However, the Seagulls brought them crashing down to earth as they took all three points from the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
To make matters worse, Arsenal’s surprise win at Stamford Bridge this week has seen the Gunners draw level on points with Antonio Conte’s men.
The Lilywhites will hope to get back to winning ways when they travel to Brentford, and Lawrenson does not expect Spurs to miss out on the opportunity to pull clear in the race for fourth place, with their two rivals facing one another earlier in the day.
He told BBC Sport: “Brentford have won their past three games, while Tottenham had a wobble against Brighton last time out just when they were gathering momentum.
“Bees midfielder Christian Eriksen will get a great reception from the away fans but I think his old club will leave with the points.
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“With Tottenham’s two main rivals for fourth place, Arsenal and Manchester United, playing each other earlier on Saturday, this is a big opportunity for them to improve their situation.
“I know all the teams in that race have been throwing away points recently but I can’t believe Spurs will slip up again after their defeat by the Seagulls. Prediction: 1-2.”
Lawrenson believes that a win at Brentford will see Tottenham go two points clear of Arsenal as he backed United to emerge with a 1-1 draw from the Emirates.
The pundit said about the Gunners’ clash against the Red Devils: “After a run of poor performances, Arsenal looked a really good side in their win over Chelsea on Wednesday.
“It was an outstanding display all round, and part of it was down to the way the Gunners were much quicker and fitter – the Blues looked flat.
“United, meanwhile, just didn’t turn up at Anfield and got the result they deserved. Their fans will be hoping for a reaction after such a dismal display but I’ve not convinced this team are capable of one.
“With Fred and Scott McTominay still out injured, United are going to lack bite in midfield – they would have made some difference to the manner of Tuesday’s defeat and given the team a bit of steel that they badly missed.
“The only thing that is stopping me going for an Arsenal win is that they have been in a position before where they had a grip on fourth place – in fact, they could almost have guaranteed it by now.
“They have not dealt with that scenario very well in the past few weeks so I am not convinced things will be different this time. It has to be said, though, that United are all over the place at the moment.
“With the players he has available, we don’t know how Ralf Rangnick will pick a team and decide on a formation. A point would be a very good result for them in the circumstances. Prediction: 1-1.”
Spurs Web Opinion
I am not too confident going into this game on the back of our lacklustre performance against Brighton. Brentford are in excellent form and are a very good side at home. They will make it really difficult for us and we need to score early to make our task easier.
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