Burnley v Tottenham Tips | 5th January 2015

MORE FA Cup action on Monday night as Burnley host eight-time winners Tottenham. Chris Graham (@chrisgraham79) previews the odds for us.

Burnley v Tottenham | Monday 19:45

They've extended the FA Cup Third Round over to five nights this year, and it means that games like this take place on the Monday night with no TV coverage. It probably makes sense, but if we're honest this is hardly a match to get excited about on a quiet night.

I'll start by saying that this match is not one I'd be betting heavily on. I'm sure both managers would swap this game for three points at the weekend in the Premier League. Burnley face a huge home tie against fellow strugglers QPR, while Spurs are at Selhurst Park trying to take on a Pardew-inspired Palace. Don't expect full-strength sides in this game.

It's Burnley that are the key for me. Surely they don't need this distraction? Sean Dyche though isn't an easy manager to read. He's all about building momentum within the group and staying positive at all times. But if I was him, I'd play the reserves, give them a chance to shine whilst not disrupting the good vibes within the first team.

Can Burnley reserves beat Spurs reserves? That's very much doubtful. We know how much strength in depth the Spurs squad has, or rather the depth they have. I don't think Burnley can compete with that.

I've also taken a look at the FA Cup Third Round records of sides in the Premier League bottom three (at the time) over the last three seasons and it's not pretty reading. In the last three seasons only Crystal Palace managed a win against a fellow Premier League side while West Ham (2013/14) and Wigan (2011/12) crashed out to lower league opposition. West Ham were humbled 5-0 by Nottingham Forest you'll recall.

It's also worth stating that bottom three Wigan drew with League One Bournemouth in 2012/13 and Bolton failed to beat League Two Macclesfield in 2011/12.

So what I'm trying to say is, priorities will lie elsewhere for Burnley. Saturday afternoon hosting QPR in the Premier League will mean so much more, expect a shadow team on Monday. That team won't be good enough to beat Spurs so I'll take the London side to win this game at 20/23 with BetVictor.