Match Preview: Sunderland Vs Tottenham Hotspur

If you look at the form table, it’s not been a great start for Tottenham, with three draws and a defeat kicking off 2015/16 for Spurs. However, performances haven’t quite been transformed into results, which will give Mauricio Pochettino and the Tottenham faithful some belief ahead of the tough trip up north. Spurs have played good football for the majority of the first four games but have been unable to breakdown defences and finish chances effectively enough, something that you wouldn’t have said last season. Instead, Spurs have looked more than capable at the back, with the addition of Toby Alderweireld tightening up a previously shaky back line.

Harry Kane has finally got a goal to his name this season, albeit against minnows San Marino. He’ll be more than fired up to open his account on Saturday, especially after his own goal at the Stadium of Light in last season’s 2-2 draw. If Spurs play as well as they have, it’ll be a tough game for Sunderland - assuming we actually put some chances away. However there are concerns about Christian Eriksen and Nabil Bentaleb’s fitness, both missing international games for Denmark and Algeria respectively. Both would be big misses if they don’t feature.

From the outside, Sunderland haven’t looked brilliant in the first four games and our former captain, Younes Kaboul, has looked remarkably like the Kaboul we sold rather than the Kaboul we fell in love with only a few years back. If Sunderland’s defence isn’t up to scratch, it’ll be difficult to cope with a front four who could cause problems with a specific type of movement that Pochettino loves to play with. It’ll be good to see Jermain Defoe, but he has a knack of playing well versus former teams. He was poor at White Hart Lane on his Sunderland debut, so hopefully he doesn’t hit the form we all know he’s capable of this Saturday.