Leicester City a huge game for Tottenham for many reasons

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea battles for possession with Ryan Sessegnon of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea battles for possession with Ryan Sessegnon of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 2
Next
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 12: Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea battles for possession with Ryan Sessegnon of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JANUARY 12: Antonio Ruediger of Chelsea battles for possession with Ryan Sessegnon of Tottenham Hotspur during the Carabao Cup Semi Final Second Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on January 12, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images) /

Most of the time when the sixth-placed team faces the tenth-placed team, you are not thinking it is a big game, nothing could be further from the truth when Tottenham travels to Leicester City.

There are several factors that make this mid-week make-up game very important for both teams but particularly for Tottenham who may have some personal reasons to get over on the Foxes.

Tottenham wants to keep the top four close

Right now if we give Tottenham all the points from their games in hand, then Spurs would easily be in the top four in front of both Arsenal and West Ham. The reality is that games in hand are often better in our imagination than in reality, so getting three points against Leicester will be key.

Spurs have no idea when their other three matches – Burnely, Brighton, and Arsenal – will be rescheduled or how fast and furious the games will be coming at that time. The Foxes, on the other hand, are real and a real opportunity to get three real points, not the mythical three we all add when we see the table.

A win and three points actually push Spurs above Arsenal in fifth, just one point back of West Ham. At that point, Spurs would still have three games in hand on the Hammers and one on Arsenal, not including the head-to-head match-up.

For Tottenham to move back above Arsenal and legitimately into the top four conversations on real points and not hypotheticals would be a big lift for this team that needs one.