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.
Leicester City is not necessarily in poor form, although the Foxes have lost four of their last seven in all competitions. What Leicester is more than anything is short-handed. Without several players due to the Africa Cup of Nations and a handful more – including Jamie Vardy – due to injury, Leicester City is a wounded team.
Spurs need to kick Leicester while they are down
This does not mean the Foxes are going to role over, with James Maddison, Youri Tielemans, and Kasper Schmeichel, this is still a really good team. Rather, Leicester is starting to understand the challenge of playing on that fourth front in Europe that Spurs have had to deal with for several years, which stretches teams thin.
With Leicester missing several key players and only sitting midtable, now is the time to step on their throat and take the Foxes to task. A decisive win over Leicester could be a huge statement for Tottenham and it is one they need to make. As a wounded team, the longer Leicester is in the match, the stronger they will become with confidence, Spurs cannot allow that to happen.
Tottenham owes Leicester a European souvenir
Maybe this is more on the Premier League but it seems to be on Leicester too. It was the originally scheduled match against Leicester City which Tottenham asked the Premier League to postpone so Spurs could make up their missed Europa Conference League game.
As we all know the Premier League denied this request, not wanting to damage the credibility of the competition.
Of course, as well all know, that match was indeed postponed, not for Tottenham to reschedule in Europe but due to Covid cases in the Leicester camp. The decision to not initially postpone the match was surely the league’s decision but just as surely, Leicester had to have some inclination of the direction of their covid outbreak.
This match being postponed late ultimately cost Spurs their last, best chance to make up their game against Rennes and stay in Europe. Instead, we all know the results and now the Premier League postpones matches for squad mismanagement but such is life.
This brings us back to Leicester who in my mind as much as the Premier League could have acquiesced to Spurs’ request knowing they were probably going to ask for a postponement anyway. Instead, Tottenham got what it got and on Wednesday, Leicester need to get it in return. While the Gooners would be ideal, the Foxes will have to do and Spurs need to trounce them like the midtable team they are.