Former Liverpool defender Mark Lawrenson has shared his prediction ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League match against Aston Villa on New Year’s Day.
Antonio Conte’s side resumed their campaign with a trip to Brentford on Boxing Day and once again started slowly, going behind for the ninth game in a row and had to rely once again on an improved second half performance to carve out a 2-2 draw.
The 65-year-old has tipped Tottenham to bounce back to winning ways against Unai Emery’s side in what will be a much-needed win to keep them in the mix for a top four finish with the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea and Liverpool all showing they mean business in securing a Champions League spot.
Lawrenson told Paddy Power: “Aston Villa gave their all against Liverpool but defensively they were shocking. Harry Kane got back into the swing of things with Tottenham and scored against Brentford.
“It’ll take a while for Unai Emery to sort Villa out and Spurs just might not go behind for once. It is the New Year, after all!
“Tottenham 2-0 Aston Villa”
SpursWeb Opinion
Tottenham’s defensive issues were clear to see against Brentford and the return of Cristian Romero to the starting eleven will hopefully go some way to shoring up the backline, while there are also concerns in unlocking the opposition’s defence.
Going behind in this match would only create frustration in the stadium and the players need to show a marked improvement in what is going to be a pivotal month, both on and off the pitch in deciding the outcome come the end of the campaign.
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