Tottenham Hotspur vs Brentford

Saturday’s Premier League action gets underway at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Tottenham and Brentford face each other in an all-London match-up.

Last weekend’s 2-1 defeat at Villa Park threw Tottenham’s hopes of securing European qualification into a corridor of doubt as they start this round level on points with eight-placed Aston Villa. After only winning once in their last six league outings (D1, L4), ‘Spurs’ could even consider themselves lucky for still being in a position to fight for Europe. Defensive frailties that have seen Tottenham concede the most goals (59) in one Premier League campaign since 2007/08 (61) must vanish down the final stretch, especially if they’re to build on an impressive record in the season finale. They have only lost their final home league game in two of the last 14 seasons (W11, D1), though one of those slip-ups came in 2021/22 at the hands of Villa.

On the other hand, Brentford eased past West Ham United 2-0 at home last weekend, recording their third win in four matches (L1) to consolidate their pursuit of a first-ever top-four finish in the Premier League. However, the narrative looks quite the opposite when they hit the road, with Thomas Frank’s men suffering three defeats on their last four league travels (L1), failing to get on the scoresheet in each loss. But if they can flip the script, the ‘Bees’ could make history this weekend and win their final away league game of the season three times in a row for the first time. That could prove easier said than done, with Brentford only winning once in their nine league meetings with Tottenham (D4, L4).