Betting tips / Lee Dixon / 20 April 2012 / Leave a comment Bet Now

Emmanuel Adebayor is one of the players Lee Dixon feels hasn't quite been at the races for Spurs in recent weeks and who must stand up if they are to beat QPR in their next Premier League match-up.

Everyone will have their own theories to explain Tottenham's recent struggles but the truth is they're not winning matches or playing that well.

With QPR enjoying good home form, we need to take on Harry Redknapp's side.

QPR must be feeling pretty hard-done by at the moment. They've done a good job of winning their own matches and some of those were tough, Liverpool and Arsenal for instance. What they didn't count on was that Wigan would perform some giant-killing acts of their own and beat Manchester United at home and Arsenal away.

I think Wolves are definitely down (if not mathematically) and I'm not sure Blackburn have it in them to get six points or more from their last four matches. So it should be a straight shoot-out between QPR and Bolton and it's very much advantage for the Trotters given they have two games in hand. QPR simply can't afford to lose this game.

Match Odds

Spurs are in a slump, no doubt about it. The fans may complain about that 'phantom goal' in the FA Cup and it certainly didn't help matters but I still think they would have lost the match given the way it was going. But this late-season implosion isn't happening for the first time. It was a similar story last season and people will have different theories as to why it happens. Harry Redknapp's link to the England job and the fact that some players like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric have played virtually every minute of every game are two noteworthy factors.

I'm not too sure why Spurs are as short as 2.0 to win this match, given the form they're in. Or lack of it. This match is important to both these sides for very different reasons so motivation won't be an issue here but I think we need to take Spurs on at this price. A draw looks likely but QPR could win this and give their relegation chances a huge boost so I'm laying Spurs.

Under 2.5 Goals

Opta tell us that Spurs have now gone three matches in a row without scoring away from White Hart Lane. I don't think that's going to change all of a sudden and I also don't think that QPR are all of a sudden going to score a hatful either. Yes, they put three past Swansea but that was very much an exception to the rule. Spurs kept clean sheets away at Chelsea and Sunderland over the past month so they're not that defending that badly themselves away from home. This has all the makings of a low-scoring match.

First Goalscorer

Bobby Zamora will be looking to get one over the club who gave him his chance at Premier League level. Some would say that having done that, they never really gave him a chance at all.

Zamora will be desperate to get on the scoresheet against them here and I think he might just do that. Given Spurs are strong favourites, as we've already seen, he's an unusually generous price to score at 3.3.

2 pts Lay Tottenham @ 2.0
3 pts Back under 2.5 goals @ 2.06
1 pt Back Bobby Zamora to score at anytime @ 3.3