Tottenham Hotspur entertain Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in their final Premier League match of 2023.
Victory would see Tottenham stay fifth but move to within one point of the top four, whilst Bournemouth will stay 12th regardless of the result unless can win by a five-goal margin which would move them up to 11th.
Team News
Oliver Skipp could return for Tottenham after he missed their defeat at Brighton with a knock.
Cristian Romero (hamstring) and Dejan Kulusevski (suspension) however are both sidelined.
Ryan Sessegnon, Mickey van de Ven (both hamstring), Manor Solomon (knee), Ivan Perisic (ACL), Yves Bissouma (suspension), Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison (both ankle) remain ruled out.
Bournemouth could again be without Lewis Cook after he missed their Boxing Day win over Fulham with a groin injury.
Darren Randolph, Hamed Traore (both illness), Milos Kerkez (ankle), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Lloyd Kelly, Tyler Adams (both hamstring) and Emiliano Marcondes (foot) remain absent.
When is Kick-Off?
Tottenham host Bournemouth at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a 2pm GMT kick-off on New Year’s Eve, untelevised live in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Tottenham have avoided defeat in four of their last five meetings against Bournemouth (W3, D1, L1).
- Bournemouth have won one of their last six visits to Tottenham (W1, L5).
- Three of Tottenham’s last five meetings against Bournemouth finished in a 3-2 result, with Spurs winning two of those three five-goal thrillers.
- Tottenham have scored first in each of their last seven home matches (W4, L3).
- Six of Dominic Solanke’s 12 goals for Bournemouth this season were scored away from home.
Prediction
After a knackered looking performance in their defeat at Brighton with several regulars missing and Romero a huge loss in defence, Tottenham must find a fresh spark because their midfield were outclassed whilst their defence were timid until a late futile fightback.
Bournemouth meanwhile have had over 48 hours extra rest compared to Tottenham but were quite sloppy in their clinically dominant win over Fulham, but they can’t be as wasteful in their end product as they were against the Cottagers otherwise they will be punished.
Spurs however love scoring at home this season with the opening goal in their last seven home matches, but Bournemouth and Solanke are in form and if they start well then I can see them picking up a second away win at Tottenham in 2023.
Prediction: Tottenham 1-2 Bournemouth
Result: Tottenham 3-1 Bournemouth