Burnley vs Tottenham Hotspur – Preview

The race for the top four is now a sprint rather than a marathon.

There’s a phrase Tottenham supporters weren’t expecting to hear this season.

We may not be the favourites by any means, but it’s not impossible that we’ll be competing in next season’s UEFA Champions League. With the reduced expectation of this season behind us, there’s reason to not feel the cosh of the pressure heading into the final weeks of the season.

Usually at this stage of the season, it’s all hands on deck at White Hart Lane as we make one final push to make the season a successful one. Thankfully, this time around, the circumstances are different. We knew this season would be one of transition, and yet, we’ve been to Wembley and Spurs fans far and wide are buying into the new regime Mauricio Pochettino has put in place. And we’re not the only ones.

Two weeks ago, I got the chance to interview Sky Sports’ football pundit Guillem Balague, and he is of the belief Pochettino can take us into a “golden-era”.

“I remember when Rafa (Benitez) created a golden era at Liverpool and I think at Spurs something like that is happening with Pochettino” the Spaniard said.

“I can see Spurs challenging for the top four, not only with the money they have but the fantastic coaching there too, and the choices of players they will have over the next few months” he hinted.

“He’s managed to get them (Tottenham) to a cup final and with the quality they’ve got at the club, using facilities which are simply unbelievable, he has all that on his side”.

Thankfully, Balague assured that Daniel Levy has given his backing to Pochettino.

“He has the backing of the chairman, good staff and he’s got a touch of Rafa about him”.

Words of high praise, and ones we can be excited about.

We come up against Burnley for the fourth time this season on Sunday. We’re unbeaten in our last three meetings this campaign, but we haven’t won at Turf Moor in our last three attempts.

Whilst this fixture isn’t exactly the most glamourous 21st century tie, it was one of the world’s most entertaining fixtures back in the 1960s.

Yep.

Things may be different now, but as always, we should be taking all three points from a team fighting relegation. Sean Dyche’s men won’t be giving up without a fight either. Their last home game saw them topple the champions Manchester City, and Burnley have also held Chelsea and Manchester United this season. Let’s not forget, they were 0-2 up at White Hart Lane during our FA Cup tie in January – they’re no pushovers.

Again, whilst we’re not aiming to finish in the top four, we’re in a position to compete, and now would be a great time to showcase what this team is capable of.

Predicted XI: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Rose; Bentaleb, Mason; Townsend, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane