Tottenham Hotspur vs Burnley

A place in the FA Cup round five is up for grabs as Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley lock horns at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Injury-ravaged Tottenham bounced back from a disastrous 4-2 thumping at Brighton with a commanding 3-1 home win against high-flying Bournemouth at the end of 2023, making it four victories in their last five matches. Kicking off the new calendar year in a similar vein is at the forefront of Ange Postecoglou’s mind as he looks to build momentum ahead of the impending Premier League return. Postecoglou’s side thrashed Burnley 5-2 in top-flight action in September, racking up their sixth triumph across the last eight H2Hs in all competitions (D1, L1). ‘Spurs’ should be confident about improving that record after winning three consecutive home outings ‘to one,’ including an eye-catching 4-1 victory against Newcastle United. A clean sheet could be on the cards here, considering they’ve won their last four home H2Hs without conceding.

On the other hand, 10-man Burnley fought valiantly but ultimately slipped to a 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa in their final Premier League fixture of 2023, resulting in a second-from-bottom finish in the top flight at the end of the last calendar year. Since it was their third loss in four matches (W1) and a sixth defeat in their last eight on the road (W1, D1), the ‘Clarets’ seem destined for an early FA Cup exit before the kick-off. Adding to this sentiment, Vincent Kompany’s men have lost all three previous visits to Tottenham’s new home ground by a combined score of 10-0! Kompany’s porous backline will likely be the cause of Burnley’s demise in North London, with Burnley conceding multiple goals on seven of their last ten competitive road trips.