Betting tips / Andrew Atherley / 21 October 2011 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market

There's no Champions League football at White Hart Lane this year and as a result slightly less media attention. Away from the spotlight, Harry Redknapp's Spurs keep on improving in the league.

Twelve months ago Tottenham were being feted in all quarters as they entertained Europe in their first Champions League campaign, but this season things have gone strangely quiet.

Harry Redknapp's team have crept almost unnoticed into sixth place in the Premier League table after a difficult start, with the two Manchester clubs and Liverpool attracting much more attention in the media.

Yet Tottenham's form in this calendar year bears the closest scrutiny and it is easy to understand why they are [1.98] to win at Blackburn on Sunday.

Tottenham are sixth with a game in hand - the reason being that their opening league game was postponed following the summer riots. That meant their first two matches of the season were against the Manchester clubs and, when they were soundly thrashed by both (possibly because they were not fully up to pace), most of the media focus shifted elsewhere.

From that point, however, Tottenham have shown they remain strong contenders for a top-four finish and that's mainly because of their excellent form against the bulk of the Premier League. In 2011, against teams outside the big six, Tottenham have lost only two out of 16 and the last of those defeats was almost exactly eight months ago.

While they retain the eye-catching flair associated with both the Tottenham tradition and all Redknapp teams, this is not the flaky Tottenham of old. Redknapp has clearly brought steel to the side and that is especially true on the road, where their record against teams outside the top six in 2011 is won four, drawn four, lost two. As a means of comparison, Manchester City's record in that category is won four, drawn two, lost two.

What's more, Tottenham appear to have improved this season. Since those opening two defeats by the Manchester clubs they have taken 13 points out of a possible 15 and their only failure to win was against in-form Newcastle - in other words, Tottenham have won all four games against teams outside the current top four.

It is ironic that Tottenham's good form is attracting less attention because of the very fact that they are not in the Champions League. They would not be the first team to improve their domestic league performance after a season coping with the demands of competing with the elite on two fronts.

Having established that Tottenham's form is extremely solid, the question then is how to play them on Sunday. The straight win is not particularly good value on the 2011 figures, owing to the high draw rate, although it is more tempting if the argument is accepted that they have improved this season.

The low defeat rate in this type of fixture is the most compelling angle, however, and therefore it looks best to be a little more conservative and lay Blackburn at [4.3].

Pick of the stats

Bolton v Sunderland

Bolton remain the team for goals - eight of their last nine home games have had over 2.5 goals.

Manchester United v Manchester City

Eleven of United's last 13 home games against big-six teams have had over 2.5 goals

Recommendations

Lay Blackburn v Tottenham at [4.3]
Over 2.5 goals in Bolton v Sunderland at [2.02]
Over 2.5 goals in Manchester United v Manchester City at [1.86]