This Europa League tie seems to be a bit of a mismatch as struggling Belgian side KAA Gent host English Premier League title challengers Tottenham Hotspur.
Gent have been on an inconsistent run recently with no back-to-back wins in the league since November, placing them down in a rather lowly 8th position in the table.
A big part of the reason behind Gent’s slump is that they simply do not score enough goals. They are currently eighth in the goal-scoring charts with just 35 goals in 26 games and have only scored twice on one occasion in the league in their last six matches. Conversely, their defence has actually been really good and they average under a goal conceded per game whilst they have also kept three clean sheets in their last five league matches.
Another good thing going for Gent is their home form which is the second-best in the league having accumulated 31 points from 13 matches. Furthermore, they have won two of their last three matches in the league without conceding.
Tottenham’s excellent run of no defeats in 11 came to a crashing end at the weekend as they lost in a season-deciding clash against Liverpool, effectively putting an end to Spurs’ title chances. However, with no Premier League game until 23rd February, we can expect Tottenham to take this Europa League match seriously and they’re more than entitled to bounce back.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side are excellent at the back and have one of the best defensive records in the league with just 18 league goals conceded and an impressive 11 clean sheets in 25 matches. Unfortunately though, outside of Harry Kane and Dele Alli in the attacking positions, they lack a major goal threat which has often cost them points at vital stages of the season.
Spurs are not great on the road and have not won in their last three league matches away from White Hart Lane, not scoring in two of them. A total haul of just 18 points from 13 Premier League matches on their travels is also not a great return.
Although there seem to be a lot of negative aspects for Tottenham going into this match, they’ve got the quality to overcome a struggling Genk. The visitors’ superior defence are good enough to keep a low-scoring side quiet, before profiting at the other end. I expect Pochettino’s side to come away with both a victory and a clean sheet which can be had at surprisingly good odds of 15/8.
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