Tottenham vs Aston Villa Betting Preview
- By A.J. Ryder on November 21, 2011 18:20 GMT
Spurs assistant manager Joe Jordan has heaped the pressure on Aston Villa by declaring that Tottenham's Jermain Defoe was more than likely to pip Darren Bent to a starting spot for the English side at Euro 2012. With Wayne Rooney looking likely to be out of the opening fixtures of this upcoming major tournament, Fabio Capello is going to have to get creative with his forward line and it appears as though Bent and Defoe are in a one-or-the-other type of situation.
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Spurs have been doing well this year and, while Villa certainly aren't playing poorly by any stretch of the imagination, they have been struggling against higher tier competition.
Spurs are the hosts tonight and go in with a very short price – trading at a 4/9 margin for the outright victory while Villa are available at a 13/2 price. The draw trades at a 3/1 listing and will probably tempt more Villa fans than Spurs supporters.
Tottenham have declared that they are in the hunt for an additional striker, thought to be Lucas Podolski, because they simply can't afford Emmanuel Adebayor's wages over the extended term. Unlikely to take a paycut, the Togo-born forward is considered to be a strong play for the opening goal in this fixture. Punters will have him at around 9/2 while Rafael Van Der Vaart is the outright favourite to grab the first goal with a 4/1 listing from most major bookmakers.
Jermain Defoe is priced at 5/1, very much in touch for the first goal, while the aforementioned Darren Bent is priced out at 8/1 for the first goal.
It's a crucial factors in fixtures like this as an away goal for Aston Villa early in the match would likely force a reshuffling of Tottenham's tactics. Look for them to start with two up front and come out with plenty of pace down the flanks. Villa will be looking to capitalize on dead-ball situations and will likely have Bent playing a bit deeper as Gabriel Agbonlahor plays in a more off-the-shoulder role.
Agbonlahor has been playing much better this season, earning an England cap last week, and he's an interesting shout for the to score at anytime wager with a 7/2 listing.
