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· Last Season's Corresponding Game - Spurs 1 - Stoke 1 - 21st March, 2012
· This week - last year
· What happened in the Premiership in Match 18 2011-12
· See the current injury list for all Premiership Teams
· All the Spurs Stats you could hope for here! THFC6061 Sports Stats
Full League Record v Stoke City
Premier Pl W D L F - A Pts
Home 4 2 1 1 7 - 5 7
Away 4 2 0 2 6 - 6 6
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Total (Prem) 8 4 1 3 13 -11 13
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Football Lge
Home (Div One) 26 20 5 1 56 -19 49
Away (Div One) 26 7 8 11 26 -34 24
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Total(Div 1) 52 27 13 12 82 -53 73
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Football Lge
Home(Div Two) 7 6 1 0 18 - 7 13
Away(div Two) 7 2 1 4 9 -11 5
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Total(Div 2) 14 8 2 4 27 -18 18
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Total (Prem) 8 4 1 3 13 -11 13
Total (Div1) 52 27 13 12 82 -53 73
Total (Div2) 14 8 2 4 27 -18 18
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Grand Total 74 39 16 19 122 -82 104
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Last Six Premier League results:-
Spurs
Arsenal 5-2 Spurs
Spurs 3-1 West Ham
Spurs 2-1 Liverpool
Fulham 0-3 Spurs
Everton 2-1 Spurs
Spurs 1-0 Swansea
Stoke
West Ham 1-1 Stoke
Stoke 1-0 Fulham
Stoke 2-1 Newcastle
West Brom 0-1 Stoke
A. Villa 0-0 Stoke
Stoke 1-1 Everton
Pos P W D L F-A GD Pts
4. Spurs 17 9 2 6 30-25 5 29
9. Stoke 17 5 9 3 15-13 2 24
Not the ideal Christmas fixture
A game against Tony Pulis's Stoke City is not the ideal Christmas fixture you could hope to see. Renowned as spoilers, and not shy of the phsyical, it has to be said that Stoke are a difficult team for anybody to play against, and currently, they are on a good run of form, being unbeaten in their last seven games.
Those seven games have averaged out at just 1.42 goals per game, with Stoke scoring 7 of the 10 goals, and twice in just one game at home to Newcastle. In fact, "The Potters" have scored just 15 goals in their 17 league games so far this season, but conceded just 13. Compared to Spurs' record, that is exactly half the goals scored, and fractionally over half the goals conceded. Spurs are likely to find it just as difficult to score tomorrow as they did last week against Swansea.
Those looking for the best odds for the various types of bet available, such as more or less than a certain number of goals might like to consult the sportsbook review here.
Former Spurs striker Peter Crouch, signed with Wilson Palacios last August, has been getting less minutes in that recent run. Crouch has not scored a goal since 29th September, when he scored twice against Swansea at The Britannia Stadium. Last season, Crouch scored 10 league goals, which was more than he ever managed in a league season for Spurs, and only matched in two of the preceding 9 seasons. Crouch does though remain Stoke's top scorer with 4 league goals. Those recent goals have come from various sources, including Jon Walters (twice in the last 6 games), and Kenwynne Jones, who scored last Saturday against Everton in a 1-1 draw.
Stoke's greatest gift to Spurs was probably the reputed £20 million they paid for Crouch and Wilson Palacios in a double signing last August. Palacios was signed for us by Harry Redknapp from Wigan in January 2009, and if he does feature at all tomorrow will get a fond reception, for all the effort and grit he put into our side. Palacios has had his injury troubles since signing for Pulis, but still hasn't had much of a look-in. He's played just 49 minutes this season in four substitute appearances, but remains an important player for Honduras.
We've rarely played against Stoke in December, and the last two such occasions haven't been much fun. Last year we tasted defeat for the first time in 11 games, when we lost 2-1 on 11th December in a game which was noteed for what Spurs fans considered a disastrous refereeing performance by Chris Foy (not Hoy). The previous December meeting was also on 11th, in 1982, when we lost 2-0 to goals by Dave Watson and Sammy McIlroy.
On 29th December, 1979, we beat Stoke 1-0 in front of a crowd of just 28,810, thanks to a goal by John Pratt. The Spurs goal-keeper that day was Milija Aleksic, who sadly died this year, well before his time. Stoke's side that day included a former Spurs full-back, Ray Evans, and a future Spurs striker, Garth Crooks, who was actually born in Stoke, which was his first team. Ray Evans started his career at Tottenham, in the late sixties, and finished it at Stoke in the early eighties.
The news that Gareth Bale will be available tomorrow is a welcome boost. Under normal circumstances we might have looked forward to another confrontation between Gareth and Charlie Adam, who signed from Liverpool in August. Adam has also scored two goals in recent games, but it remains in doubt whether or not he will play following the sad news that his father died suddenly this week, at the age of just 50.
Michael Dawson is also fit, so will be challenging for a start, while Scott Parker might have to settle for a start on the bench again. Mind you, if Adebayor was not to make it, following his hamstring problem last week, Scotty could start, and Dembele might play from a more advanced position. Spurs have options, improved by the return of some key players this Christmas.
We've established that it's going to be tough for us tomorrow, and goals are likely to be at a premium. As always, an early goal could make so much difference, but without such an event, I fear another low scoring nervous game. I do think that Spurs will emerge as the victors though, and I'll plump for a 2-0.
Tomorrow's referee is Lee Mason, who we last saw in charge in our 2-1 win at Southampton.
· 10 years ago, Spurs beat Man City 3-2 at Maine Road. It was the last time we played there. It is also sad to reflect that two of the players are no longer with us - Marc-Vivien Foe and Dean Richards.
· What happened in the Premier League this week, 10 years ago?
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