Premier League betting – Spurs vs Man City odds

Spurs vs Man City betting preview

At last. At long, long last the new Premier League season is back. After our dismal showing in South Africa this summer, the domestic campaign couldn’t come soon enough for England’s under performers. And potentially, seven of those who made Fabio Capello’s 23 man squad could be involved in Saturday’s big kick-off when Tottenham entertain Manchester City.

Sixty million pounds and Champions League football was the prize the last time these two clubs met in May. It took a Peter Crouch header that day to condemn those ambitious billionaire sugardaddies across at Eastlands to a Europa League spot. Instead, Harry Redknapp’s North Londoners would get a crack at the Champions League and their first foray into Europe’s top-flight competition. And City’s response, well it was simply to reinvest more cash into their already star studded line up, but will Mancini’s new recruits gel in time for the White Hart Lane showdown? Despite the arrivals of David Silva, Yaya Toure, Jerome Boateng and Aleksander Kolarov, it is Spurs who head the betting to win Saturday’s lunchtime clash at 7/5 (Bet365). City are available with most firms at 2/1 to avenge last season’s disappointment while the draw is currently trading at 12/5 with Stan James.

At the time of writing, Man City’s summer spending spree has shown no sign of slowing with the possible arrivals of James Milner and Mario Balotelli set to eclipse the £100 million mark. Expectations in the blue half of Manchester as you would expect have reached another level and focus is solely on winning the Premier League. When they travel to Spurs on Saturday, Mancini knows a winning start is high on the list if they are to amount a serious title challenge. But the form book suggests City will struggle against ‘Arry’s men having lost 11 of their previous 12 meetings and were comprehensively beaten 3-0 in the corresponding fixture last term. White Hart Lane has not been a happy stomping ground but is that all about to change? Mancini must first select his 25-man squad for the new campaign and there could be some big name absentees such is the abundance of quality at his disposal. However, it is more than likely Yaya Toure and David Silva will make their debuts and Bet365 go 10/1 the latter scores the opener and follow up his World Cup winning summer.

There is much to be admired about the way Harry Redknapp has steered Tottenham from one-time relegation candidates 18 months ago to genuine title contenders this year. Although, the possibility of them topping the PL seems unlikely they should be thereabouts in the final shake-up. Their fourth place finish last term has left a lot to be desired and it will be interesting to see how the North Londoners are tested by playing three times a week due to their European involvements. Big squads are a must during busy fixture schedules but the quality must be there and some Spurs fans may have been a little disheartened to see only Sandro join the club this summer. But Harry is a good judge of character and he must feel fairly confident of tackling the new season with his current crop of players. But can they improve on last years finish?

Their home form was key to this success and justifies the 7/5 favouritism which seems value considering they can continue from where they left off last term. They completed the double over their Manchester rivals during the campaign without conceding a goal, Paddy Power offers 10/3 they win to nil again. However, the last six meetings at White Hart Lane have ended as over 2.5 goals and with the attacking prowess on display we could see goals at both ends. Bet365 are the stand out firm offering 21/20 on this market and this seems worth a punt. Another bet which appeals somewhat is the draw a half time which his being bandied about at even money. Both teams might need a little time to find their feet in their first competitive game for some time and the deadlock might not be broken until the second half.

Selecting the first goalscorer in this one has never been trickier with so many potential avenues it could come from. Excluding the obvious of Jermain Defoe (6/1 SkyBet) and Carlos Tevez ( 13/2 Victor Chandler) from calculations, the longshot wager could be Gareth Bale who seems overpriced at 14/1 across the board after finding the net with some frequency towards the back end of last season.

So will Manchester City’s new look squad prove their worth or will Tottenham throw a spanner in the works and give their neighbours food for thought? One thing is for certain and that this is a fantastic opener to the new Premier League season, but the value seems to rest with Spurs who can start the season off in a positive manner and with you a PROFIT!

Recommended bets:

Over 2.5 golas at best odds 21/10 with Bet 365. Visit Bet 365 and get £200 in free bets

Gareth Bale to score first at best odds 14/1 with Skybet. Visit Skybet and get a £10 free bet.

By Mikey Mumford

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