CARDS specialist Chris Goodwin (@CGeorgeGamble) picks out his favourite fancies from Thursday night's Europa League showdown between Spurs and LASK.
Tottenham vs LASK Linz | Thursday 22nd October 2020, 20:00 | BT Sport
Jose Mourinho and his Tottenham side welcome Austrian outfit LASK Linz to North London and will be hoping they can get back to winning ways.
It was a tough weekend for Spurs as they played host to West Ham, they were three goals up right until the last 10 minutes. Goals from Fabian Balbuena, and own goal from Sanchez and an absolute thunderbolt from Manuel Lanzini in added time saw the points shared.
This is an opportunity to put things right and get back into their groove. Manager Mourinho has a 100% record in this competition (participated twice and won it twice). If Spurs are to finally end their baron spell of winning trophies, perhaps it can be in the competition where it would appear the ‘Special One’ thrives!
It’s been a relatively average start for LASK in their domestic league. They’ve won two, drawn one and lost one in their opening four games. Despite only going into matchday five, they currently lie five points adrift of leaders Salzburg and so already find themselves playing catchup in their aim of fighting for the title.
The Black-Whites boast good Europa League credentials, however, finishing top of a group containing Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven and Rosenborg last season. Despite excellent form in the group stages, they were then thrashed by Manchester United by an aggregate scoreline of 7-1, their only meetings against English opposition.
On paper, you’d expect Spurs to run riot, but as often happens with the Lillywhites, they can be their own worst enemy.
Key Stats
Tottenham:
- Over 2.5 goals has landed in SEVEN of their last EIGHT Europa League games (UEL).
- Have won their last THREE UEL matches.
- Have scored at least TWO goals in their last FOUR UEL matches.
- Both teams have scored in EIGHT of their last 10 UEL home games.
- Have conceded in all three league games at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this season.
Team News:
- Gareth Bale and Carlos Vinicius could be in line to make their full debuts.
- Eric Dier and Erik Lamela will be pushing for starts – both missed the 3-3 draw with West Ham at the weekend.
- Tanganga is still out and Lo Celso is unlikely to be risked.
LASK Linz:
- Over 2.5 goals has landed in their last FOUR UEL games.
- Have scored in SIX of their EIGHT away games in this competition.
- Lost 3-0 away to Rapid Wien in their last league game.
- Have faced English opposition just once in this competition, a two-legged tie against
Manchester United last season, in which they lost by an aggregate of 7-2. They did, however, snatch their single goal at Old Trafford.
Team News:
- Dominik Reiter is out for the season with an ACL injury. He should be the only absentee for the trip to London.
- Christian Ramsebner saw red in the defeat to Rapid Wien before the international break. However, the captain should start here.
Analysis
My first bet is for Both Teams To Score at 4/5 (Bet365). It’s no secret that Spurs games so far this season have been extremely exciting for the neutral – not so much if you’re a diehard fan of the North Londoners.
Whilst they’ve had no problems in finding the back of the net, they can’t help but ship a fair few too. The fact that they have conceded a goal in all of their home league games so far is testament to this.
I don’t think Mourinho’s men will come away with anything other than a win. However, I do think the Austrians will cause problems and eventually get on the scoresheet.
Dominik Thalhammer’s side scored in FIVE of their SIX away UEL games last season (83.33%) and with Spurs having a few organisational frailties in their backline, I’d be surprised if this didn’t land.
My second bet is a Bet Builder of Spurs to Score 2+ Goals, Spurs 4+ Corners and LASK to see Under 5 Cards. This priced at 11/10 on Bet365 yet is 42/100 on William Hill.
As mentioned, Spurs have scored at least TWO goals in their last FOUR UEL matches. I think they will dominate the ball and look to breakdown a deep LASK side – resulting in at least 4 corners. The visitors don’t see too many cards away and successfully avoided receiving five cards in any UEL game last season.
At this price, compared to the odds that other bookmakers have it priced at, I’m happy to have a point on it.
Best Bets
Tottenham vs LASK Linz – Both Teams to Score (4/5 Bet365)
Tottenham vs LASK Linz – Spurs to score Over 1 Goal, Spurs to win Over 3 Corners and LASK Linz Under 5 Cards (11/10 Bet365)
