Premier League Top Four Odds – Can Tottenham Secure Their Spot?

It is fair to say that it has been a rollercoaster of a season for Tottenham Hotspur and their fans so far. From the highs of thumping away wins over Manchester United and Manchester City in the league, to the lows of a home loss to Ipswich Town and Chelsea, inconsistency has dogged Ange Postecoglou’s team at every turn.

So much so that the latest sports betting odds suggest it could be a struggle for Spurs to break into the top four this season. If you’re considering betting on whether Spurs can secure a top-four finish, don’t miss the bonus code bet247 for exclusive offers and odds on the Premier League. 

Having missed out on qualification for the Champions League last season, Spurs could qualify for the tournament by winning the Europa League, or by finishing in the top four of the Premier League. 

But are they capable of sustaining a level of performance required to do that from now until the end of the season? 

Let’s take an honest assessment of Spurs’ current situation and look ahead to see whether they could gatecrash the top four this season. 

Spurs Current Premier League Situation

The data shown here was correct as of Tuesday 10th December 2024.

• Games Played – 15
• Games Won – 6
• Games Drawn – 2
• Games Lost – 7
• Goals Scored – 31
• Goals Conceded – 19
• Points – 20
• Position – 11th

Current Form – Played 5, Won 1, Drawn 1, Lost 3, Scored 9, Conceded 8

With 20 points, Tottenham are currently only seven points behind Manchester City in fourth and 15 behind Liverpool who are top of the table and who also have a game in hand on Tottenham at present. The other top two spots are taken by London rivals Chelsea (31 points) and Arsenal (29 points).

Positives To Take From The Season So Far

• Tottenham have scored the second most goals in the Premier League with 31 goals (joint with Brentford and four behind Chelsea who have scored 35 goals). 
• Defensively, Tottenham have conceded the sixth fewest goals in the Premier League with 19. Only Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Manchester United have conceded fewer goals. 
• In every Tottenham victory this season Spurs have scored at least three goals and won by three or four goals on five of the six occasions they have won Premier League matches.
• Spurs have the highest average number of attacking corners in the Premier League this season at 14.20 corners per game.
• On average Tottenham score a goal every 43 minutes in the Premier League and average just over 2 goals per game. 
• Several attacking players such as Dejan Kulusevski, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison and Dominic Solanke have been in good form. 
• Despite Spurs’ inconsistency, the gap between them in 11th and Man City in fourth is just seven points.

Negatives Apparent From The Season So Far

• A lack of resilience has been apparent in games where Spurs have taken the lead but only gone on to draw or lose the game. This was most notable in the games against Brighton (2-0 up but lost 3-2), Fulham (led 1-0 but drew 1-1) and Chelsea (led 2-0 but lost 4-3). 
• No consistency – Spurs best run of successive wins is just two (3-1 v Brentford and 3-0 away to Man Utd) back in September. They have not gone three games without a defeat this season. 
• No Plan B – Critics of manager Ange Postecoglou state that teams ‘know how to play against Spurs” and that the manager has no Plan B when his original tactical approach goes wrong. 
• There has been a glaring lack of confidence, especially in defence, when Tottenham has been put under pressure in games. This has led to poor defensive errors and teams taking advantage of Spurs’ backline jitters.
• Injuries and Suspensions—Nobody likes to use injuries as an excuse, but Spurs have had injuries to almost all of their first-choice back four and goalkeeper this season. Similarly, key defensive midfielders have also been absent either through injury or suspension. This has led to a lack of cohesiveness in defence.
• Any of the teams from fifth to 14th in the Premier League are within two to nine points of fourth place in the table, meaning competition for that spot will likely be intense.

Forthcoming Fixtures

Spurs face a run of five fixtures over the festive period that will see them take on the bottom two teams, as well as the team top of the table.

They start this weekend away to Southampton followed by hosting Liverpool just prior to Christmas. Boxing Day sees a tricky trip to Nottingham Forest followed by Wolves at home on the 29th followed by another home game with Newcastle on the 4th January. 

Who Will Likely Be Spurs Main Opponents For A Spot in the Top Four?

It is safe to assume that all of the current top four, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester City will be battling it out for a top four spot.

Looking at the teams chasing them, it is hard to see the likes of Nottingham Forest, Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford and Fulham maintaining a realistic challenge which means the likes of Spurs, Newcastle and Man Utd, who lie 11th, 12th and 13th respectively, could well emerge from the pack to battle it out for a top four spot.

The problem is that there is already a gap to the top four of at least seven points (eight for Man Utd) which needs to be overcome quickly if they are to make a realistic challenge for a top four finish.

That means the period over Christmas and into the New Year will be vital, with at least 15 points up for grabs over those games, this could be the make or break point of the season for the teams with genuine hopes of reaching the top four.

Tottenham are certainly one of those teams and they have already shown this season that they are capable of beating anybody on their day. 

The problem is that Spurs are equally capable of losing to any team on their day too and in the first part of the season there has been far too much of the latter and not enough of the former.

For Spurs to make the top four, they need much greater consistency and resiliency. They can do that, but it is now up to Ange Postecoglou and his team to prove that over a sustained run of matches. 

Without that, the top four may be a pipedream.