It’s a Boxing Day first page of the standings London derby as Brentford FC hosts Tottenham Hotspur on Monday. This will also likely see Harry Kane make his first appearance since the England captain skied a penalty kick over the crossbar in his nation’s loss to rival France in the World Cup quarterfinal.
Kane didn’t just miss a spot kick that was a potential late equalizer, he also lost a head-to-head battle against his club teammate, France captain and No. 1 Hugo Lloris.
Boxing Day: Tottenham vs Brentford FYIs
Kickoff: Monday Dec. 26, 12:30pm GMT, GTech Community Stadium, London, UK
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Win 50% Draw 26% Brentford 24%
Spurs Team News: go here
Series History: Tottenham wins 24 Draws 14 Brentford wins 6
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
It’s a real tough moment to bounce back from, but Kane’s Spurs teammate, Matt Doherty, says the squad will get their talisman up and running again.
We picked both players for our first team prediction. Here is the rest of the lineup projection.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction at Brentford FC
Forster; Lenglet, Dier, Davies; Royal, Hojbjerg, White, Doherty; Kulusevski, Kane, Son
Prediction: Tottenham 2, Brentford 1
Spurs have not lost to the Bees since 1948, so it’s been a while, to say the least. While the Brentford stung Manchester City right before the World Cup break, and they are indeed a tough out, I just don’t think the drought will end here.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.