Tottenham Hotspur vs Middlesbrough Predictions

• Tottenham have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last eight in all competitions. They’ve kept just one in their last 14.
• Middlesbrough are now unbeaten in six matches, four of which they’ve won.
• Tottenham haven’t lost at home in the FA Cup since 2016. They’ve won each of their last seven home ties.

Spurs need reprieve

Winners of none of their last four fixtures, Tottenham need to bounce back and sharpish. There were moments of promise from Mourinho’s men against runaway league leaders Liverpool on Saturday evening, but their efforts were once again in vain.

Being winless in four is obviously a problem, but perhaps a bigger problem is their recent lack of goals. Spurs have scored just once in their last 270 minutes of football. Such a problem is only amplified by their inability to keep a clean sheet, conceding at least once in each of their last eight.

When this pair met at the Riverside less than a fortnight ago, Spurs dominated the ball, while they were the much better team in terms of shots, but in terms of serious threat and end-product, they weren’t much better than their Championship hosts, which is slightly worrying.

Boro tough to beat at present

Under the stewardship of Jonathon Woodgate, Middlesbrough appear to be on the up. They’ve not had the most straightforward of campaigns, but things have really started to come together over the last month or so.

Boro will go to North London on Tuesday evening having lost none of their last six, four of which they’ve won. During that time, they’ve made themselves hard to beat, keeping three clean sheets and conceding just four goals, while they’ve also took things up a notch in the final third, scoring ten times, notching multiple goals in three of their last four. In in the initial tie, Woodgate’s men, looked a real threat on the break, while they also caused Spurs problems from set pieces too.

Goals for both on the cards

The early betting ahead of this match points towards both teams not finding the net on Tuesday evening, though it’s tough to go along with that. On their own patch, Spurs should have more than enough quality to hurt Boro, but they’re simply not defending well and haven’t been for a long time. Middlesbrough deservedly got on the scoresheet when the pair recently met, and the way in which they looked a threat both on the break and at set-pieces bodes well ahead of the replay. Tottenham have scored plenty of home goals this season, but they’ve kept very few clean sheets, shutting their opponents out in just one of their last ten domestic home matches.

In the ‘Correct Score’ market a 2-1 win for the hosts appeals. This is a good opportunity for Spurs to bounce back, despite their defensive problems. Against teams outside of the top four, Tottenham have conceded in seven out of nine at home in Premier League this season, conceding exactly once in six of those nine. However, the fact that they’ve won six out of those games points towards victory on Tuesday.