Norwich City vs Tottenham Hotspur 29/12/19

29 December 2019

Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to improve their chances of securing a top-four finish in the Premier League (PL) when they travel to Carrow Road to take on rock-bottom Norwich City this weekend.

Norwich’s haul of just two points from their last six PL fixtures (D2, L4) has seen them slip to the bottom of the table. The Canaries have suffered more top-flight defeats than any other side this term (13), and it can get worse when they take on a Tottenham side they’ve lost to in both of their previous PL H2Hs via the exact 3-0 score. Curiously, Daniel Farke’s men have taken a one-goal goal into halftime in each of their last three PL home outings, although allowing their rivals to turn two of those results around in the second half (D1, L2). What’s more, their defensive frailties have seen Norwich concede over 1.5 match goals in all eight of their previous league home fixtures, with 57% of the goals they’ve shipped in that period coming in the second half.

On the other hand, the visitors go into this encounter on the back of a 2-1 home win over Brighton that has helped them reduce the gap on fourth-placed Chelsea to three points. Interestingly, since Jose Mourinho’s arrival, six of Tottenham’s seven PL matches have produced over 2.5 goals, with five of them seeing both teams score. Mourinho seems to have managed to improve Spurs’ disappointing away form, as they’ve now won two of their last three PL away fixtures (W2, L1), which has already bettered their away record under Maurizio Pochettino’s reign since the turn of this calendar year. However, Tottenham’s burning issue remains a fragile defense that has allowed over 1.5 match goals in seven of nine PL road trips so far this term, conceding precisely one goal per match in the other two.