With six Premier League clubs in FA Cup action and almost all the others idle, Tottenham and Sunderland both get the chance to put clear distance between themselves and the relegation zone when they play today.
Tottenham and Sunderland are tied on 31 points, just four above the relegation zone, but Spurs’ superior goal difference means that one more win would lift them three places and into the top half of the table for the first time this season.
Much more was expected from Spurs after they won last year’s League Cup, but manager Juande Ramos was fired after the club took just two points from their first eight matches. His successor, Harry Redknapp, looks to be on track to keep the club up — and possibly even more.
“The start we had to the season killed us,” winger Aaron Lennon said. “But we’re now only four points off eighth. If we could get up to seventh it would be unbelievable, though the priority remains to stay in this league.”
With Premier League leaders Manchester United having beaten Tottenham to win the League Cup and five of the teams above Spurs still in the FA Cup, seventh place could even be enough to secure a place in next season’s UEFA Cup.
Firstly, though, Tottenham must negotiate a tough match at Sunderland, who won the teams’ clash in August 2-1.
Spurs could be up against four of former players, although a fifth, midfielder Teemu Tainio, will miss the game because of a knee injury that kept him out of Tuesday’s defeat at Liverpool.
The Black Cats have stuttered slightly after an initial burst of good form under manager Ricky Sbragia, who replaced Roy Keane in December, and have one win in the last five matches.
“We need to win our home games,” said Sbragia, who is expected to keep faith with goalkeeper Marton Fulop despite his costly error at Liverpool, and the availability of Scotland No. 1 Craig Gordon.
“Things remain tight in the league so this is a big period for us,” Sbragia added.
“Spurs have a good squad and they shouldn’t really be in this position. But they are because they haven’t won enough games and that shows that it’s not easy in the Premier League,” he said.
Tottenham beat struggling Middlesbrough 4-0 on Wednesday and are likely to field a similar side again, with Robbie Keane set to continue up front after scoring his first goal since returning to the club.
“It’s fairly tight and I think it’s important to see you get a few back-to-back wins and if we can continue doing that we can push up that table,” Keane said. “We’re in a position at the moment where we don’t want to be and with the players we have we shouldn’t be there.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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