Tottenham v Mura: Struggling Spurs can claim win but don’t expect fireworks

Tottenham 1.121/8 v Mura 34.033/1; The Draw 10.09/1
Thursday 30 September, 20:00
Live on BT Sport 2

Nuno needs a win

Nothing less than a win will do for Spurs when they host Mura in the Europa Conference League on Thursday.

Tottenham drew their opening game in Group G away at Rennes, so in the context of this competition, a victory at home against the group’s weakest team is a necessity. In a wider context, such has been the poor form of this team under their new manager Nuno, that a failure to claim three points, could see the Portuguese coach lose his job.

Nuno was the manager of the month for August after three straight Premier League wins, but even during this run, the performances did not convince. They’ve since lost three Premier League derbies in a row, with teams of such varied quality as Crystal Palace, Chelsea and Arsenal, all beating Spurs with ease. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Nuno’s brief reign already includes some of the worst performances from a Tottenham side over the last 20 years. No wonder only Steve Bruce is a shorter price than Nuno (6.05/1) in Betfair’s Next Premier League Manager to Leave market.

Opposition of the standard of Mura gives Nuno the chance to experiment with his lineup and try to find a winning formula. New signings Cristian Romero and Bryan Gil must surely start, while Nuno has a decision to make on Harry Kane. Rest the striker before the crucial match against Aston Villa on Sunday, or give him more time on the pitch to find some form.

Mura destined to struggle

Mura lost their opening game in the Europa Conference League and look destined to be Group G’s whipping boys.

The Slovenians lost 2-0 at home to Vitesse and having been drawn into a strong group, it’s hard to see Mura having much success. They dropped into this competition after losing both legs of a Europa League qualifying tie against Sturm Graz of Austria.

Since losing to Vitesse, Mura have only won one game out of three. They bounced back with a win against Maribor, but have since dropped points with draws with Tabor Sezana and Koper. Mura are fifth in the SNL after eleven games (W4 D4 L3).

Two options to back a Spurs win

Tottenham are the favourites to win at 1.121/8, with the draw at 10.09/1 and Mura at 34.033/1.

That price is justified given the gulf in class between the two squads, but when Spurs are playing so poorly, it makes it difficult to find much value in a home victory. Tottenham are really struggling to create chances, so there’s not much of a guarantee of the sort of big win, that these odds suggest should come.

Spurs did beat Pacos Ferreira 3-0 at home in the play-offs to reach this stage and you can get odds of 2.01/1, by backing them in the handicap market with -2.5. At a slightly bigger price of 2.111/10, you can back the hosts to win both halves.