Tottenham Hotspur v Brentford: Bees Buzzing Around Wounded Spurs

by Matthew Harris · 18th May 2023

It’s Tottenham’s last home game of the season, but there will be no parties at the new White Hart Lane this time around. It’s been a dismal campaign and few fans will be sorry to see the back of 2022/23.

Technically, there is still something to aim for. Spurs are just about in the mix for the final Europa League place, while we’re holding off Aston Villa in the battle for seventh and the Europa Conference League.

Anything would be a hollow victory for a club who fielded a weaker team in an FA Cup tie because it considers top four football as a priority. Anyway, next up are Brentford in Saturday’s lunchtime – 12.30pm – kick off.

Team News

Spurs now have three players ruled out for the remainder of the season. Rodrigo Bentancur, Ryan Sessegnon and Hugo Lloris will not be back in 2022/23 and, in the case of Ryan and Hugo, they may have seen their last action in a Spurs shirt.

The only addition to the injury reports relates to Eric Dier who missed the Aston Villa defeat with a knock. The problem is only thought to be minor and he has a good chance of returning to the side on Saturday.

There are no additional injuries, as far as we know, and certainly no suspensions, so the squad is relatively close to full strength.

Match Odds

In spite of everything, Spurs are somehow starting as odds on favourites to win Saturday’s game. The top price on the home win currently stands at 9/10 with 10Bet, while victory for Brentford is available at 3/1 with Ladbrokes and Quinnbet.

The draw completes the match result market and this can also be found at 3/1, this time with Unibet.

If you feel that our recent results haven’t been ‘that bad’, the form guide suggests otherwise. Over the course of the last six Premier League games, Tottenham have picked up just four points. Only Leeds United and Southampton have a worse record over that period of time.

Spurs are displaying relegation form, while Brentford have claimed ten points from their last six. If you were looking at Saturday’s game from a neutral perspective, you’d have to say that the Bees have a very good chance of a point at the very least.

Side Markets

Harry Kane scored our solitary goal at Aston Villa last week and, with Brentford’s Ivan Toney now suspended, he is unchallenged at the top of this week’s first goalscorer betting. Harry is on offer at 3/1 with VBet, while Son Heung-Min is further back at 7/1 with Quinnbet.

Ivan Toney #17 of Brentford recovers a yellow card off referee John Brooks during the Premier League match Newcastle United vs Brentford at St. James’s Park, Newcastle, United Kingdom, 8th October 2022
(Photo by Mark Cosgrove/News Images)

Both Richarlison and Arnaut Danjuma are quoted at best odds of 15/2 with Quinnbet, while Brentford’s first option now is Bryan Mbeuno at 9/1 with 10Bet. The Cameroon international has seven goals so far this season.

Other selections for Spurs backers might include Dejan Kulusevski at 10/1 with 888Sport, Lucas Moura at 12/1 with Quinnbet, Pedro Porro at 14/1 with VBet and Ivan Perisic at 22/1 with VBet.

Away from the players, Both Teams to Score is quoted for Saturday at best odds of 13/18 with VBet. If you prefer to take the ‘no’ option on BTTS, this is on offer at 6/5 with Ladbrokes and Coral.

Next is Total Goals and we could start here with a modest bet Over the 2.5 line which is quoted at a top price of 10/13 with Vbet. If you’re comfortable with lifting that to Over 3.5, this is on offer at a best of 7/4 with BetFred and 10Bet.

Those that are expecting a more subdued 90 minutes on Saturday could consider the Under 2.5 Goals market which is available at 11/10 with Quinnbet and Ladbrokes.

Our final side markets relate to the Correct Score betting. If you think that the sportsbooks have got this one right, a 3-1 home win can be backed at 13/1 with VBet. A final score of Spurs 1 Brentford 2 is on offer at 12/1 with Quinnbet, while the 2-2 draw is quoted at 12/1 with Betway and Ladbrokes.

Last Season

Back in 2021/22, Spurs enjoyed a comfortable 90 minutes at home to Brentford. The game was played at the start of December and we ran out winners by a 2-0 scoreline. While possession was fairly even in the game, Tottenham dominated in the attacking third with 11 shots to the Bees’ six.

Goals came in both halves, with the deadlock broken by a Sergi Canos own goal on 12 minutes. 20 minutes after the break, Son Heung-Min sealed the three points.

Since returning to the top flight at the start of last season, this has been Brentford’s only defeat to Spurs. The other two games ended in draws.

Verdict

Who knows what to expect from Saturday’s game? Do Spurs have it in them to respond to such a poor run of form and their most recent defeat at Aston Villa. Does the possibility of claiming the last Europa League place inspire the team?

There are more questions than answers here, and we can only hope to be positive. The reality is that most of us are waiting for the end of the season, and looking ahead to see who comes in as the new manager. Perhaps it would be a good thing to avoid a ‘big name’ and go for a lesser known, ambitious young coach who can get us playing exciting, attacking football again.

But that’s another story: Saturday’s game is almost impossible to call but, if we were neutrals, we’d likely be looking at a positive result for Brentford. There are just two suggestions from a betting point of view. Both Teams to Score looks a strong possibility, although it’s at shorter odds than normal this week.

Son Heung-Min to score at any time in 90 minutes carries a longer price, and Sonny has found better form in the second half of the season. Let’s just hope for three points and we’ll see you all back here next week for the last game of 2022/23.