Stoke City take on Birmingham City on Tuesday night with manager Tony Pulis still seething from yet another big decision that appears to have gone against his men at the weekend.
Mark Clattenburg is set to take charge at the Britannia Stadium and Pulis will be hoping that he can cut out his high-profile mistakes that have caused controversy in recent weeks.
Potters fans never know what to expect from their team at the moment as they lost their first three Premier League matches, then took 10 points from their next four, and haven’t added to that tally since beating Blackburn on October 2.
But the current poor run includes three away defeats and the only reverse at home was against Manchester United when they looked set to take a point from the Red Devils before Javier Hernandez won the game with just four minutes to go.
Stoke do not have a great recent record against Alex McLeish’s side at home, as Birmingham have won three of their last four league and cup games at Stoke, keeping a clean sheet in each match, and the Midlanders travel to the Potteries after coming back from 2-0 down to take a point against West Ham at the weekend.
Goals may be at a premium in this match as Birmingham have only scored six in their last eight matches, while they have won just three of their last 21 Premier League contests.
Stoke have scored two goals in their last four top-flight matches but if they can get the rub of the green then we predict that their losing streak will come to an end and they will sneak this one by the odd goal (Stoke 11/2 to win 1-0).
Tuesday’s other Premier League match-up sees Tottenham entertain Sunderland with Harry Redknapp’s men desperate for a win to get their season back on track.
The north Londoners have been superb in Europe and it may be that their league form has suffered as a consequence, with a draw and two defeats in their last three games leaving them in seventh place on 15 points.
However the table is so congested, with four other teams also on 15 points, two on 14 and a couple more on 13, and so the standings could alter significantly over coming weeks.
Spurs are back at White Hart Lane and that should give them the edge over a Sunderland side who have also garnered 15 points to date.
They bounced back from humiliation in the north-east derby to beat Stoke on Saturday, albeit with a little help from the officials, but they are a different side away from Wearside, with three draws and two defeats on their travels.
Steve Bruce is likely to go looking for a point on Tuesday, as his men rarely score away from home, and it could be like the Alamo at times with Spurs; attacking talent bearing down on the Sunderland box.
Tottenham are capable of beating the best on their day and we believe they will run out winners by at least two goals, although an early strike will be vital to force the visitors to come out and try to get back into the game (Spurs 5/1 to win 2-0).
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