Tottenham Hotspur-Swansea City Preview

Posted Friday, December 30, 2011 by

LONDON (SE) - Tottenham Hotspur have the luxury of a match in hand as they lurk behind co-leaders Manchester City and Manchester United.

Having an in-form Gareth Bale, though, has proven priceless for Spurs as they continue their title chase Saturday at Liberty Stadium versus Swansea City.

The Spurs (12-2-3) are comfortably in third place with 38 points through 17 matches, seven behind City and United and four ahead of fourth-place Chelsea. Their postponed Aug. 13 opener versus Everton due to the London riots was rescheduled for Jan. 11, adding to an already-busy fixture list in the next two weeks for Tottenham.

The rescheduling, though, has given manager Harry Redknapp’s side a three-match stretch at White Hart Lane ahead of its key clash at Manchester City on Jan. 22.

Bale will be the tipping point that determines if Spurs will continue to be in the Premiership title hunt and make a possible return to the Champions League for the second time in three seasons. The winger struck for goals in each half of a 2-0 win at Norwich City on Boxing Day, securing the victory with a goal in the 67th minute as Tottenham picked up points on Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool.

“We spoke about it before the game,” said Bale, who will return to his native Wales for this match. “The results went for us and we knew it was important to go out there and get the three points to put more pressure on the teams around us and try and cement our place in the top four.”

Redknapp has given him and fellow midfielder Rafael van der Vaart freedom to roam behind the forwards, and Bale has responded with six goals and five assists in his last eight league matches.

“I played him in a free role, him and Rafa, rather than on left,” Redknapp explained. “He pops up in positions in-between the midfield and defence, it’s difficult to pick him up and once he turns and runs, like he did for the second goal, he’s unstoppable.”

The Swans (4-7-7), however, have shown a resolute defence at home in their first season in the Premier League. Opponents have breached them for only three goals in nine matches at Liberty Stadium, with Swansea taking points in eight (4-4-1).

One of those goals, however, came Tuesday in a 1-1 draw versus Queens Park Rangers as Danny Graham’s 14th-minute goal for the Swans was canceled out by Jamie Mackie’s equaliser in the second half. Swansea are 14th with 19 points - five points clear of the drop and two shy of the top half of the table - and trailing Fulham on goals scored.

“If someone had said to me before the season started that at the midway point we would be two points off the top ten, then I would have bitten their hands off,” manager Brendan Rogers said. “So far we have done very well in a league which is very tough. Up until now we have been competitive and played some terrific football.”

The Swans will have to make one change to their lineup since defender Steven Caulker’s loan agreement from Spurs does not allow him to play. Rogers stated captain Garry Monk will return to the starting XI and expects left back Neil Taylor to also return after he missed Tuesday’s match with a knee injury.

This is the first Premier League match between the teams, who have not played each other since Spurs won a two-legged League Cup tie in 1991 by a 5-2 aggregate. Tottenham, though, have not won in league play at Swansea City since a Division 2 match in 1946.