After another encouraging Premier League win last weekend, Spurs travel to take on Wolves on Saturday afternoon (3pm). Can the visitors make it three wins from three? Or will the hosts resume winning ways after two losses and a draw? This WWFC vs THFC preview aims to answer those questions before giving our betting tips on this EPL game.
Things went from bad to worse for Wolves in the week, as they were downed on Merseyside, losing by two goals to nil against Liverpool. After watching his side dig deep to take a point at Craven Cottage last week, Wolves’ boss Julen Lopetegui may have been hopeful of getting a result. He wasn’t treated to a vintage display, as his team were bettered in all areas, losing deservedly without ever really landing a glove on their opponent.
It was all smiles for Tottenham last weekend, as they took advantage of Chelsea’s troubles to win 2-0 in front of a home crowd, but the celebrations did not last long. They once again let themselves down in the week, exiting the FA Cup at the hands of Sheffield United. After a rather one-paced and unthreatening effort in Yorkshire, Antonio Conte’s men need to bounce back and quick.
Hopes hanging on Harry
Everybody knows what Harry Kane brings to this Tottenham team, and we all know what he is capable of when on song, but Wednesday night was perhaps the biggest reminder yet of just how crucial the England forward is to Spurs’ success.
Without their talisman, Spurs failed to threaten against Championship opposition. We saw that without Kane not only do Tottenham carry a less than significant threat in front of goal, but they actually struggle to create any chances. Kane is both the creator and the finisher in this team, and that is a problem.
We know that he is going to play in the Premier League and just him starting this game will increase Spurs’ threat tremendously, but we have seen him be frustrated on several occasions this term. The trouble is that Conte’s men lack a real creator in behind Kane, which means that he often drops deep and as good as he is at creating chances, he can’t create for himself. That is far from ideal given Spurs’ other attackers lack potency.
Son Heung-min has scored just twice in the EPL since September and continues to look out of sorts. Richarlison also cuts a frustrated figure and is yet to score a domestic goal, despite having made 16 appearances, while Dejan Kulusevski, for all his industry and hard work out wide, often flatters to deceive when push comes to shove in the final third. The Swede has scored just twice this campaign. With that trio not really firing, Kane is very much the go-to man for goals (and often assists), a burden which at times, has been too much to carry. That is why we often see this Spurs team deliver a muted performance in terms of goals scored.
Offensive woes
Saturday’s hosts, Wolverhampton Wanderers, also have problems in the final third and unlike the visitors, they do not have a Harry Kane to get them out of trouble.
It did look as if their attacking problems had alleviated somewhat when they notched three times against Liverpool in early February, before following up with two goals at struggling Southampton. Lopetegui’s men have since gone in the wrong direction in that sense. They come into this fixture having scored just one goal in their last three games. More alarmingly, they have registered just three shots on target in their last two.
If we look at the Premier League table from a goals score viewpoint, then Wolves rank as the joint-worst team in the division. They are also one of the worst, ranking 17th for expected goals for. In that respect, they have produced an average of 0.96 xG per game, which points towards a lack of creativity.
Goals few and far between
When these two face off in the Premier League, it tends to be a slightly cagey affair, while the goals don’t exactly fly in at regular intervals. When the pair met earlier in the current campaign, Tottenham won by a goal to nil thanks to a 64th minute strike from talisman Harry Kane. Prior to that, Wolves came out on top by two goals to nil at the same venue, while the last time the pair met at Molineux in the league, Spurs won by just a goal to nil.
There was of course that 2-2 draw which preceded a penalty-shootout success for Spurs in the EFL Cup back in 2021, but in the EPL, they have thrown up some low-scoring games. Each of the last five Premier League meetings between the teams have contained less than three goals, while both teams have scored in just one of those five.
Bet on goals to stay away
Whichever way you look at this fixture, a high-scoring games seems unlikely. At the very least, it seems slightly less likely than the early betting suggests, so at odds of 3/4, ‘Under 2.5 Goals’ catches the eye.
We know that both teams have had their offensive struggles, there is no getting away from that. Spurs have scored one or less in four of their last six in all competitions, scoring more than twice in none of those six. Only one of those six has contained a total of three or more goals.
Likewise, the hosts have scored more than once in only two of their last nine in all competitions. Less than three goals have been scored in each of their last three.
Both teams have struggled somewhat from a creative standpoint too, which lends itself to a low-scoring bet. In their last five at home, Wolves have produced an average of just 1.1 xG. In their last five on their road, Spurs have averaged just 0.84 xG. Such numbers do not exactly scream goals galore. So for this preview’s WWFC vs THFC betting tips, we rely on the one:
- Under 2.5 goals @ 3/4 with BetVictor.
Bradley Gibbs is an experienced football writer. He is an expert analyst on Premier League, and all global football leagues & tournaments, for Just Bookies. Bradley has been published by many respected outlets, including USA Betting and the Racing & Football Outlook. He has also written betting strategy guides.