Sevilla vs Spurs betting tips

After being eliminated in the latter stages of the two domestic cup competitions - the Carling Cup and the FA Cup - Martin Jol will be desperate to lead his in-form Spurs side into the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup. Before the Dutchman can contemplate that, however, there is the small matter of a quarter-final showdown with reigning champions Sevilla. The first leg of this fascinating tie takes in the Spanish club's back yard - the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on Thursday evening - and the fact that Juande Ramos' men have tasted defeat in just one of their 13 home games in La Liga is indicative of how strong they are in Seville. Indeed, they're just two points adrift of league pacesetters Barcelona. Sevilla applied to have this fixture postponed as it clashes with a major religious festival in the Andalusian city where huge crowds are due to attend. But UEFA rebuffed this request and Ramos has been rallying his side's fans as he is concerned that, as this game is taking place during Holy Week, many fans will view the game with a degree of apathy. However, it'd be surprising if the home fans weren't to turn up in good voice for this crucial match. And, in any case, we are talking about a team that are unbeaten in their last eight in all competitions and boast La Liga's leading scorer, ex-Spurs man Fredi Kanoute, who has amassed a tally of 22 goals this season, 19 of which have been in the League. Spurs' recent form has been mightily impressive. They are playing with so much confidence at present and how they failed to add to the goal they scored against Reading during their victory over those rivals on Sunday beggars belief. The visitors have a 100 per cent record in the UEFA Cup this term, winning all eight of their games, and if they fail to get anything from this encounter, it won't be for the want of trying. It will be interesting to see the team Jol fields, as his side will have less than 48 hours to recover before visiting Stamford Bridge to tackle Chelsea for the fourth time this season on Saturday lunchtime. The fact that Tom Huddlestone has joined Spurs' injury list hasn't helped, but Tainio and Mido are back in training, while Ghaly is ready to return to action following a bout of flu, so there's plenty of positives. The key to whether Spurs get anything from this game is whether their strikers can remain composed and take their chances. Don't get me wrong, Tottenham have not been struggling for goals of late - they've averaged 2.6 per game based on their ten most recent matches in all competitions - but, as we witnessed against Reading at the weekend, Berbatov, Defoe and Keane are all prone to the jitters in front of goal from time to time. And Spurs will need to score in this game. An away goal - or, ideally, away goals - will prove vital in my opinion, as I'm pretty confident that Sevilla will be good for a goal or two, what with the likes of Kanoute, Kerzhakov and Chevanton among their quality array of strikers. But as long as they've got their wits about them, Spurs can get something from this game. A draw looks the most likely outcome to my mind and, at 23/10 with bet365, I'll be putting my money where my mouth is. Verdict - 2pts draw in the match result market @ 23/10 (bet365) #1 Betfair Bonus £25 Free Bet.#2 Ladbrokes £25 Free Bet.#3 Paddypower Bonus £20 Free Bet.