"I don’t see them doing that" - Mark Lawrenson predicts big scoreline for Tottenham vs Bournemouth
Pundit Mark Lawrenson has backed Tottenham Hotspur to beat Bournemouth comprehensively in their Premier League clash on Saturday, April 15.
Spurs come into the game at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on the back of a perhaps lucky 2-1 win over Brighton & Hove Albion in their previous game. They will now hope to build on their victory by beating relegation-battling Bournemouth on Saturday.
Christian Stellini's side are fifth in the league table, three points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, who have a game in hand. Hence, they need a win on Saturday to stay in the hunt for a top-four finish.
The Cherries also had a good result in their previous game, beating Leicester City 1-0 away. They are 15th in the league table, just three points above the relegation zone.
In his column for Paddy Power, Lawrenson backed Spurs to comfortably beat Bournemouth at home on Saturday. He wrote:
"I fancy a bit Spursy home win. Last week was ridiculous but their two main men scored, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Bournemouth had a really, really good result last time out but I don’t see them doing that at Tottenham."
Prediction: Tottenham 3-0 Bournemouth
Christian Stellini on whether Tottenham can finish in Premier League top 4
Spurs interim manager Christian Stellini has shared his thoughts on whether they can make it to the UEFA Champions League spots this season. They are three points behind Manchester United (4th) and Newcastle United (3rd) and still have to face both teams.
Their recent disappointing draws against Southampton and Everton have put Spurs on the backfoot for a top-four finish. However, Stellini is confident that they can finish in the top four, stating (via Football.London):
"We could do. We have to play eight final games like eight finals. We started with Brighton and now we have eight games. We have to play attacking football. We are trying to push more to create more chances, to try to shoot more on target, to create something that can create a good atmosphere in the stadium and to get the crowd behind us."
After the game against Bournemouth, Spurs have to face Newcastle away, Manchester United at home, and Liverpool away within seven days. These three games could well define Spurs' league position at the end of the season.