Norwich City-Tottenham Hotspur Preview

LONDON (SE) - While Tottenham Hotspur are not losing matches, they aren’t doing much to gain safe ground for direct entry to the Champions League next season.

Spurs seek the maximum points as their chase for a top-three finish continues Monday at White Hart Lane against Norwich City.

Manager Harry Redknapp saw his side extend its unbeaten run to four matches (1-3-0) following its scoreless draw Saturday at Sunderland. The point left Spurs two points behind Arsenal for third after the Gunners defeated Manchester City on Sunday, but he expressed a glass half-full approach after splitting points on the road.

“I came in at halftime and thought I’d be disappointed if we didn’t win,” Redknapp said. “But a point’s a point and that’s two tough away games, Chelsea and Sunderland, two clean sheets and we’ve played well enough.”

Spurs (17-8-7) have been strong at White Hart Lane, losing only to table leaders Manchester United and second-place City while scoring at least one goal in all 16 matches. They’ve taken the maximum six points from the promoted teams at home, beating both Queens Park Rangers and Swansea City by 3-1 scorelines.

Redknapp has been consistently defiant when asked about the pressure on his team trying to return to the Champions League for the second time in three seasons, saying, “You’ve seen teams get in positions where the pressure gets to them but I think we’re quite a laid-back bunch and will just get on with it. I don’t think the players get as uptight as I do or the punters do.”

Norwich City (10-10-12) haven’t been uptight in their return to the Premier League, holding firmly mid-table despite a defence that ranks in the bottom five with 51 goals allowed. The Canaries have one win from their last seven matches (1-2-4) but scratched out a 2-2 draw versus Everton on Saturday.

Jonathan Howson and Grant Holt scored in each half for Norwich, which overcame a pair of deficits for the point. It was Holt’s 13th goal in league play, tying him for seventh in the Premier League and second to Wayne Rooney among all English goal-scorers.

“We had to be bang on it to get anything, but the way we played was outstanding,” Norwich manager Paul Lambert told the team’s official website. “We were brilliant. I was just saying to the lads that I’ve been here for three years and that was as good a performance as I’ve seen from us.”

Norwich have dropped three of four on the road and have yet to post a clean sheet there this season, conceding 30 goals.

Gareth Bale was the difference-maker in the reverse fixture at Carrow Road, scoring two goals in a 12-minute span of the second half in Spurs’ 2-0 triumph Dec. 27. The Canaries have not beaten Tottenham since 1993.