Tottenham Hotspur could once again be 10 points behind the Premier League leaders Leicester City by the time that they take to the field against Stoke City at the Britannia on Monday night.
A 3-0 success over Manchester United last Sunday moved Spurs to within seven of Leicester once again, but the Foxes will have the chance to stretch their lead when they face West Ham United at home on Sunday afternoon. Stoke, meanwhile, who are chasing a top-seven finish, will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Liverpool last weekend.
Stoke
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Stoke boss Mark Hughes led his team to a ninth-place finish in the Premier League last season and that is indeed the position that the Potters occupy as we enter the business end of the campaign in England's top flight.
A record of 13 wins, eight draws and 12 defeats has brought Stoke 47 points and they are currently just three points behind seventh-placed Southampton. That said, Liverpool in eighth have two games in hand over the teams around them and Chelsea, in 10th, are also just three points off Stoke with a game in hand over the Potters.
Three straight victories between February 13 and March 2 aided suggestions that Stoke could secure a European finish this season, but they have only won one of their last five in the league and that was a 2-1 success at Watford on March 19.
They were held to a 2-2 draw by Swansea City on April 2, before suffering a disappointing 4-1 defeat at Liverpool last weekend. Hughes is still very much on course to improve on last season's final position, but they have a tough trip to Manchester City next weekend.
The Potters will then welcome Sunderland and travel to Crystal Palace in their next two, before ending the season at home to West Ham United. Somewhat surprisingly, Stoke's home form has not been that impressive this season, having dropped points in nine of their 16 league games on home soil, which is a run that includes six defeats.
They have also only managed 37 league goals this season and face the possibility of losing their top scorer Marko Arnautovic, who has 10 to his name, on a free transfer at the end of the campaign. There will be more money to spend in the summer transfer window, however, as Hughes looks to put together a team capable of making the next step in the league.
Recent form: WDLWDL
Tottenham
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If Spurs are to win the Premier League title this season, they will surely need to take maximum points from their final five matches and then hope that Leicester suffer a bit of a collapse in the final weeks.
Indeed, Mauricio Pochettino's side are currently seven points behind the leaders, but that would become 10 if the Foxes manage to overcome West Ham United on Sunday afternoon. Defeat for Leicester though, and then victory for Spurs at Stoke would cut the gap to four points and set up an enthralling race for the championship crown.
Since losing 1-0 at West Ham on March 2, Spurs have gone unbeaten in the league and they will enter Monday's match off the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Man United last weekend. They were actually second best for long spells of that match, but a late rally saw the capital outfit blow the Red Devils away and keep to their end of the bargain.
Even if the title does not arrive this season, Spurs are currently 12 points clear of fifth-placed Man United and in a very strong position to bring Champions League football back to White Hart Lane next season. They might well need to fight off interest in Pochettino, however, with the former Espanyol boss now making a serious impression in English football.
Not only do Spurs have the best defensive record in the league this season having only conceded 25 goals, they also now have the best attack - hitting 60 in their 33 matches. Harry Kane has 22 of those and the 22-year-old will be looking to fight off the challenge of fellow Englishman Jamie Vardy to win the Golden Boot this season.
After this one, Spurs will welcome West Bromwich Albion to White Hart Lane on April 25, before travelling to Chelsea at the start of next month. They will then welcome Southampton on May 8, before ending the season away to Newcastle United. Winning the title from this position is a serious, serious ask, but in this unpredictable campaign, Spurs are still in the race.
Recent form: LDWWDW
Recent form (all competitions): LWLWDW
Team News
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Stoke will be without the services of left-back Erik Pieters through suspension, while Marc Muniesa is also a doubt having not taken part in a training session with the Potters since Monday morning.
Arnautovic has trained this week though and should be fit to return to the XI, but Hughes revealed that neither Glen Johnson nor Jonathan Walters are "quite ready", while skipper Glenn Whelan is still struggling with a back problem.
Centre-forward Joselu had been a doubt through illness, but the 26-year-old is expected to be available for the home side.
As for Spurs, Pochettino has no fresh injury concerns from the win over Man United last weekend.
Jan Vertonghen is expected to continue at centre-back after recovering from a knee problem, while Erik Lamela's impressive performance last time out should see the Argentine keep his spot in the final third.
Kyle Walker and Danny Rose, meanwhile, will continue in the two full-back areas ahead of Ben Davies and Kieran Trippier.
Stoke possible starting lineup:
Haugaard; Bardsley, Shawcross, Wollscheid, Cameron; Imbula, Afellay; Shaqiri, Bojan, Arnautovic; Joselu
Tottenham possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Dembele; Eriksen, Alli, Lamela; Kane
Head To Head
Overall, these two teams have met on 89 occasions in all competitions. Tottenham have recorded 43 victories, Stoke 26, while the remaining 20 matches have finished all square.
No visiting team to the Britannia Stadium in the Premier League has won more often than Spurs, meanwhile, and victory on Monday would see them move onto five victories away to Stoke in the top flight.
There have also been seven red cards in the last seven Premier League games between the two teams at the Britannia Stadium.
Stoke have only won five of their 15 Premier League meetings with Spurs, meanwhile, losing seven times in the process. Earlier this season, the two teams played out a 2-2 draw at White Hart Lane in the reverse league match.
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We say: Stoke 1-1 Tottenham
Tottenham simply have to keep winning as they attempt to remain in touch with Leicester, but under the lights on Monday night, Stoke will be a difficult team to beat. It would not be a surprise if Spurs snatched all the points, but we are going to back a 1-1 draw at the Britannia.
Matt Law
