Tottenham will be hoping to give their fans a late Christmas present by closing the gap on the two Manchester clubs at the Premier League summit with victory over Norwich.
Paul Lambert’s Canaries will prove to be tough opposition after a strong start to their first season in the top flight for five years. Norwich sit safely in mid-table in a similar position to that of Blackpool last year. The Tangerines eventually succumbed to relegation although the current crop at Carrow Road are made of sterner stuff. 2011 has proved to be an amazing year for the Canaries and they’ll be determined to give their fans more amazing times in the New Year. Their win against Newcastle at the start of December was followed by two draws against Everton and Wolves to keep them well above the drop zone. Despite not being able to keep a clean sheet this season Lambert’s men have performed superbly with Steve Morison and Grant Holt impressing up front whilst Anthony Pilkington has looked like a seasoned Premier League player despite playing his football in League One last season. They will be key to Norwich maintaining their position in the top flight and they’ll be hoping to end the year with a win over Spurs.
2011 has also been kind to Harry Redknapp’s side with the latter half of the year seeing them grow into serious contenders for the title. The arrival of Brad Friedel, Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor in the summer has proved to be the difference whilst Gareth Bale and Luka Modric have been in blistering form once again. After being humbled in the opening weeks by the two Manchester clubs the North Londoners have lost just once in the last 15 games to move them into the top three. Maintaining that form in the New Year will be the biggest test of Redknapp’s managerial credentials as the club gears up for a genuine title tilt. New additions in the January transfer window could be the difference and the Tottenham supporters will be expecting money to be spent to ensure they maintain their challenge at the business end of the table.
Norwich City 11th : 21 points
Team news: James Vaughan is a long term absentee whilst Marc Tierney is also a doubt for the visit of Tottenham
Key Player: Steve Morison
The former Millwall striker has had a great debut season in the Premier League and will fancy his chances against Tottenham on Tuesday. Morison’s physical attributes should stand him in good stead against Ledley King and co.
Tottenham Hotspur 3rd : 36 points
Team news: Rafael Van Der Vaart, Ledley King and Younes Kaboul are all doubts whilst Aaron Lennon is out.
Key Player: Gareth Bale
An extraordinary 2011 has seen Bale become widely known as one of the best wingers in the world and he’ll be hoping to end the year in style. The Welshman has all the attributes to destroy teams in the blink of an eye and will be looking to do just that at Carrow Road.
PREDICTION
Norwich have had a fantastic 2011 and will be looking to end it in style although beating title chasing Tottenham will be a tough challenge. Spurs are in superb form and will be going all out to close the gap at the top.
Score: 3-1
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