Tottenham will have a return to the top four in their sight when they host Leicester at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this weekend. Spurs are part of a peculiar race for the fourth spot this season. At different times, all three of Arsenal, Manchester United & Spurs have looked nailed on for the final Champions League position. Just a couple of weeks ago, it was the Lily Whites who looked the side in the strongest position.
But just like their other rivals, Tottenham has thrown away their advantage after suffering a shock 1-0 victory to Brighton and Hove Albion, followed by a 0-0 draw to a resurgent Brentford.
Leicester City has had a season to forget. The Foxes sit in tenth place, clinging to a spot on their first page of the standings.
Tottenham vs Leicester FYIs
Things have gotten so bad that Brendan Rodgers men find themselves closer to 16th position than they are to the European qualification spots. Leicester played out a dour 0-0 draw with Aston Villa at the King Power last weekend.
When is it? Sunday, May 1st, 2022 2 PM PM Local Time.
Where is it? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London.
Who’s in form? Tottenham (WWWLD) Leicester (DWLDD)
What are the odds? Tottenham (-225) Leicester (+600) Draw (+380)
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Team News
Japhet Tanganga will not be available for selection. The defender remains out and is not expected to return this season. After a protracted saga back at the start of the calendar year, it finally came to pass that he would need surgery on his injured knee. That surgery effectively ended his season. We believe him to be rehabbing well and be on track to return at the start of pre-season.
Oliver Skipp was having a career-best season. That was until he was struck down with a groin issue. With the medical staff trying a myriad of things to get him fit to play again, it was hoped he would play again this season. He won’t. The midfielder recently underwent surgery in the United States to fix the groin issue at the expense of the rest of his season.
Matt Doherty has had a roller coaster of a season. His future at the club looked in serious trouble toward the end of the 2021 calendar year. The Irishman had a sensational turnaround in form, however, a looked like a key cog in Spurs’ late push for the top four.
That was until he was struck down with an MCL injury. The knee injury will see him out for twelve weeks, ending his 2021/22 campaign.
Tottenham will want to return to the winner’s list this weekend, with a huge North London derby on the horizon.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.