Tottenham Vs Sunderland: Match Thread

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Swansea v Tottenham


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Barclays Premier League

Venue: Liberty Stadium Date: Saturday, 31 December Kick-off: 1500 GMT
Coverage: Watch highlights on Match of the Day; listen on BBC Radio 5 live and local radio; text commentary on BBC Sport website and mobiles​

For more on live coverage please visit Geez's Live Media Thread
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Rangel doubt for Welshmen as Spurs seek to maintain form


Swansea's fine home record will be put to the test when high-flying Tottenham travel to the Liberty Stadium on New Year's Eve.


Brendan Rodgers' side have had a year to remember in 2011, earning promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs and then impressing top-flight audiences with their style and spirit.




They have been particularly effective on Welsh soil, having conceded just three goals in nine home matches and only lost to Manchester United.
A 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday left the Swans 14th in the standings, five points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the visit of Spurs.


Angel Rangel was forced off with an ankle injury against QPR and Rodgers

will make a late decision on the full-back's fitness before kick-off.
Jazz Richards is set to continue in the starting XI if the Spaniard is not fit enough to take his place.


Left-back Neil Taylor is set to return from the knee injury he suffered in defeat at Everton, but centre-half Steven Caulker is absent due to the terms of his loan from Spurs, with club captain Garry Monk coming into the side.


Tottenham news

Like Swansea, Tottenham have enjoyed a memorable 12 months, but they may feel the best is yet to come in 2012 after mounting a strong Premier League challenge during the first half of the current campaign.


The minimum target for Harry Redknapp's men will be to finish in the top four and they currently occupy third place, four points clear of their nearest rivals with a game in hand.


A more ambitious goal is to try and win the title, although Redknapp has played down their chances of making up a seven-point gap on Manchester City and Manchester United.


Tuesday's 2-0 victory away to Norwich, inspired by the brilliance of Gareth Bale, nevertheless illustrated that Tottenham are a major force this season and they will be determined to round off the year by beating another promoted club.


Younes Kaboul was fit to face the Canaries after shaking off a hamstring problem but Redknapp may decide to recall Ledley King after resting the defender in midweek.


Jermain Defoe is another player to have been suffering with a hamstring injury over the festive period and Redknapp will hope to have the striker back at his disposal.


Aaron Lennon (hamstring), Michael Dawson (Achilles) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) all remain sidelined.


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Swansea's Garry Monk will replace on-loan defender Steven Caulker, who is ineligible to face his parent club.

Angel Rangel suffered a recurrence of his ankle injury against QPR and will face a late fitness test.


Tottenham's Ledley King and Aaron Lennon are definitely missing, but Jermain Defoe should be fit.


Sebastien Bassong and Roman Pavlyuchenko are doubtful while Michael Dawson is not quite ready to make a comeback from his Achilles injury.

This year has been a memorable one for Swansea with promotion to the Premier League after a thrilling play-off final victory over Reading, which was then followed by an impressive first-half of the campaign in the top division.
The Swans' form at the Liberty Stadium this season has been terrific with four wins, four draws and just one defeat - to Manchester United - while conceding only three goals in those nine home matches.

The next three home fixtures will be a tough test for Brendan Rodgers' team as they face Tottenham, Arsenal and Chelsea before the end of January. Those three teams are currently battling for the unofficial title of top team in London; and at the moment it's currently being won by Spurs, who come into this match in third place and looking for their seventh away victory in the league this season.


Tottenham's form has been phenomenal - they've taken 38 points from their last 15 Premier League fixtures - that's two more points than both Manchester clubs have over teh same period. Spurs have scored in each of their last 16 League games and the only team to prevent them finding the net were Manchester United in Tottenham's opening league match of the season.



There will be plenty of attention focused on Gareth Bale ahead of the match. The Welsh international's second goal at Norwich on Tuesday was magnificent - his double strike at Carrow Road meant that Tottenham have won the last 10 Premier League matches in which he has scored.



It's the first time these two sides will have met in over twenty years, and will be my first visit to the Liberty Stadium this season. With two teams who like to play attractive football, it has the potential to be an enthralling match.

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Head-to-head

• his is the first league meeting between the two sides since February 1983 and their first in any competition since a League Cup tie in October 1991.
• Swansea won both their previous two top-flight home games against Spurs - Tottenham last won a league game in Swansea in September 1946.

Swansea

• Swansea have the best home defensive record in the division with just three goals conceded.
• There have been just 14 league goals scored at the Liberty Stadium this season - fewer than anywhere else in the division (Anfield and the Hawthorns are the next lowest with 18).
• All of the Swans' four league wins this season have come at home
• Brendan Rodgers' side have won just one of their last eight league games.

Tottenham

• Victory for Spurs would equal their record total away wins in a Premier League season (seven, set in 1993-94, 1995-96, 2009-10 and 2010-11)
• Gareth Bale has scored or assisted at least one goal in seven of his last eight Premier League appearances and has already created as many Premier League goalscoring chances in 2011-12 as he did in 2010-11 (48).
• They have at least seven points more than they have had after 17 games in any previous Premier League season.

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[hughy]

Very optimistic about today. Us and Villa will win, but united will also. We can capitalise on any result in the City/Arse match, so bring it on.

 

[JollyHappy]

Start of a run of 5 premiership games out of 7 at home (with Swansea and Norwich away). Be nice to think we can get around 17 points at least. We'd probably need all 21 (including beating Chelsea) if we seriously still think we can win the league.

But as they say each game as it comes so COYS today (and if King is fit still rest him for Chelsea!)

 

[tototoner]

On train to WHL now


Only liverpool, man utd and man city have conceded less goals than Sunderland this season (18). Martin O'Neil unbeaten in his last 3 @ WHL

 

[DuDe]

We really need to give them a good spanking and work on that GD.

 

[Greavesy]

Could be a tough game with the Martin O'neill factor, especially if we don't score an early one.

VdV is due to score a couple, so COYS!

 

[Legacy]

As seems to be typical with O'Neill's teams, get a goal in the first 15-20 minutes and we'll cruise to a comfortable win. Fail to score at all in the first half and we'll be in for a hair pullingly frustrating afternoon.

My hope is that he hasn't had enough time at the club to fully drill his defend-for-90-minutes tactics and mentally into the team and they'll still leave enough space between defence and midfield so that we can actually see some football.

And hopefully the unjust loss against Stoke will serve as extra motivation to put things right in this game. After an 11 game unbeaten run ending the way it did, I expect everyone to be out for blood in this game.

Spurs 3-0 Sunderland.

 

[nightgoat]

It would be typical of Old Tottenham to let New Manager Factor get in the way of doing what we need to do. This isn't Old Tottenham, though.

 

[agrdavidsfan]

Can't see us winning it oneil will have them drilled

0-0 draw i recon

 

[ajspurs]

Can't see us winning it oneil will have them drilled

0-0 draw i recon

:-|

 

[RobinLeonard]

They have big problems scoring goals. Key is not conceding freekicks around the penalty box. Sebastian Larsson is the best dead ball taker in the league.

 

[agrdavidsfan]

With the rumours one of our superstars is out as well I'm not confident

 

[ajspurs]

With the rumours one of our superstars is out as well I'm not confident

So what, we're not a one man team.

 

[haxman]

Can't see us winning it oneil will have them drilled

0-0 draw i recon

Jesus, talk about negative. I thought I was bad. Cheer up man! We're at home, and we'll win!

 

[rockyhotspur]

With the rumours one of our superstars is out as well I'm not confident

I just hope that it is not Adebayoor. For this game we should be able to win without any other player but as we know we have no one to replace Ade. Then hopefully, as JJetset has said, whoever it is will then be fit for Thursday.

 

[Hot-Spur]

I just hope that it is not Adebayoor. For this game we should be able to win without any other player but as we know we have no one to replace Ade. Then hopefully, as JJetset has said, whoever it is will then be fit for Thursday.

Just what I was thinking, he is the only one we would really struggle without but I think its either Modric or Bale.

 

[robin09]

Early goal is crucial. Force them to look for an equalizer and we can get in behind them and win comfortably

 

[spurslenny]

I reckon we'll come out 100mph, dazzle them with the speed of our passing and movement, and get an early goal.

3-1 to us.

 

[CosmicHotspur]

There are reports that Ledley is fit enough to play and I hope that's true.

We will take all three points today.

 

[agrdavidsfan]

Bale out apparently