MX23RW : Tuesday, November 26 21:15:58| >> :60:664:664:

Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs. West Bromwich Albion

Sports Mole previews Tottenham's Boxing Day match against West Brom as Tim Sherwood takes charge of his first game as permanent Spurs boss.

Tim Sherwood will take charge of his first match as permanent head coach of Tottenham Hotspur when West Bromwich Albion travel to White Hart Lane on Boxing Day.

Sherwood was handed the reins having sufficiently impressed chairman Daniel Levy in his two matches as interim boss following the exit of Andre Villas-Boas earlier this month.

The new manager will be looking to immediately re-establish his side amongst the Champions League contenders as they currently sit seventh in the table, four points behind fourth-placed Chelsea.

His first issue will be to improve Tottenham's home form, which is currently the worst in the top half of the table. Under Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs only won three of their eight league games at White Hart Lane, scoring just seven goals.

They have lost three of their last five home league games, with the solitary win in that time coming over Hull City in October.

Sherwood is expected to continue playing two strikers up front, but he will be without Andros Townsend, Younes Kaboul and Jan Vertonghen through injury, while Paulinho is still suspended.

Aaron Lennon is also a doubt for the hosts, as is Mousa Dembele, who limped off during last weekend's match against Southampton.

West Brom have had managerial problems of their own in recent weeks, with Keith Downing remaining in temporary charge as the club's search for a successor to Steve Clarke continues.

The Baggies are slipping into dangerous waters in the Premier League and are now precariously perched just two places and three points above the relegation zone.

They are currently on a seven-match winless streak, picking up just three points from the last 21 available.

Away from home, West Brom have lost their last two and only won once all season, although that solitary victory was a memorable one at Old Trafford.

Downing could be without Victor Anichebe due to a groin problem, but the striker is his only injury concern going into Thursday's match.

Recent form

Spurs: WWWLLW

West Brom: DLLLLD

Possible starting lineups

Spurs: Lloris; Walker, Dawson, Chiriches, Rose; Lamela, Dembélé, Sigurdsson; Eriksen; Soldado, Adebayor

West Brom: Foster; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgwell; Brunt, Mulumbu; Sessegnon, Morrison, Sinclair; Long

Sports Mole says: 2-0


ID:126477: cacheID:126477:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:5297:No Data Analysis info

Previews by email

Click here to get Sports Mole's daily email of previews and predictions for every major game!


Restore Data
Share this article now:
Tottenham Hotspur's English interim manager Tim Sherwood celebrates during the English Premier League football match between Southampton and Tottenham Hotspur at St Mary's Stadium in Southampton, southern England on December 22, 2013
Read Next:
Levy: 'Spurs will flourish under Sherwood'
>
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
FT
Ravens
30-23
Chargers
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!