Tottenham V Q.P.R. – Sunday 30th October 16.00

Tottenham Hotspur Spurs are in the hunt for a Champions League spot again this season and with other teams floundering and showing exploitable weaknesses, there is no reason why they couldn’t achieve it.  There seems to be a real resolve within the current Spurs team, I’ve talked before about the difference that Scott Parker seems to have made to this side and his determination seems to be contagious.  Perhaps more important though, has been the presence of their club captain Ledley King, his run of games coincided with Tottenhams return to form after a poor start to the season. Tottenham have their usual contingent of walking wounded with several guaranteed to miss this game and others currently rated 50/50, late fitness tests could determine whether up to 6 players will be fit enough to take part, Ledley King and William Gallas are two of those rated as doubtful and even if one of them manages to be fit in time, it will be a huge boost to a Tottenham backline that often needs a calm head alongside the talented, yet occasionally erratic, Younes Kaboul. Spurs had their first game of the season postponed because of the London riots so they currently sit in 5th place having played 8 games, a convincing win against London rivals Q.P.R. will put them up into fourth place but only if they win by more than 4 goals. That looks a tall order against a Q.P.R. side that performed resolutely against Chelsea last weekend. Queens Park Rangers Whilst Tottenham might be chasing a Champions League dream, Q.P.R. will be looking to avoid the nightmare that is relegation.  Starting the season with a squad lacking Premiership experience and the money to bring in recruits, the change of ownership led to a quick buying spree that brought in several players that may just have the quality and experience to keep the newly promoted side in the top flight. Q.P.R. currently sit a respectable twelfth place in the league and have double the points of the team currently in 18th having played a game less. Rangers fans will be disappointed that DJ Campbell will miss this match, he gave the Tottenham defence a torrid time playing for Blackpool last season, his absence will probably mean that Heidar Helguson will start up front once again.  Neil Warnock is expected to stick to the same side that beat Chelsea and wil be looking for a similar result. At the start of the season, a lot of pressure was being placed in the shoulders of Adel Taarabt and the ex-Spurs man will be looking to show his old employers what they missed out on by selling him before he had his breakout season.  The teams reliance on the Morrocan has been lessened by the introduction of players like Joey Barton and Shaun Wright-Phillips but if he has a good game, he could cause Tottenham some real problems. Q.P.R. have their own injury problems, as previously mentioned, DJ Campbell will definitely miss this game as he recovers from a recent foot operation, 7 other players are either doubtful, injured or inelligible for this game. Predicted Outcome? As you know, I don’t bet on derby matches, their ability to throw the form book out of the window has caught me out in the past and I don’t want to repeat the same mistake again. So, a “no-bet” match for me but I will be watching the match and I predict that Tottenham will be the victorious side with a 2-1 score-line. I’m sure our football tipsters will have a much better idea than me where to concentrate on finding value in this match so keep an eye out on “Todays tips” to see if any of BetAdvisor professional tipsters have a selection for this match.]]>