Brentford vs Tottenham predictions: Toney to hit target against Spurs

- Tottenham have lost two of their last four away in the Premier League 
- Ivan Toney has scored six goals in his last seven 
- Recommended bet: Toney to score anytime 

Brentford will look to build on their brilliant win at the Etihad Stadium last month when they host third-placed Tottenham as Premier League football returns on Boxing Day.

Ivan Toney slotted home Josh Dasilva's cutback in stoppage time to secure a deserved three points and end Manchester City's 16-game winning run at home.

Bees boss Thomas Frank later described the victory that sent his side up to 10th in the table as "maybe the single biggest result in the club's history".

Spurs will look to follow up their thrilling 4-3 home win over Leeds on the same day with a victory that would push them to second in the table, level on points with City and behind current leaders Arsenal.

Team news

Toney is still allowed to train and play while he is under investigation by the FA, who this week confirmed the striker has been charged with misconduct in relation to 30 additional alleged betting breaches.

He scored twice in the first half of a 2-2 friendly draw with Wolfsburg on Saturday that also saw Christian Norgaard and Bryan Mbeumo start their first games after returning from the World Cup.

Frank's first-half line-up looked close to full strength, save for David Raya's absence in goal, which suggests he could be contemplating a 3-4-3 system against Tottenham.

Mikkel Damsgaard and Saman Ghoddos, who also featured for their nations in Qatar, played in the second half.

But Aaron Hickey (ankle), Thomas Strakosha (ankle), Kristoffer Ajer (knee), Pontus Jansson (hamstring) and Shandon Baptiste (muscle) have not featured in any of the club's three mid-season friendlies.

Spurs, meanwhile, could be without some players because of a fever that has spread through the camp.

Conte has revealed that Heung-min Son, Oliver Skipp and Djed Spence were among those suffering but did hint the issue has impacted several members of his squad.

Richarlison underwent an MRI scan earlier this week as the club seek to get to the bottom of the Brazillian's hamstring injury that threatens to keep him out until late January.

Harry Kane is expected to start against Brentford, but it is unclear whether World Cup finalists Hugo Lloris and Cristian Romero will be available for selection so soon after the drama of last Sunday's clash.

The stats

Toney has scored 10 goals and recorded two assists in 14 league appearances this season.

Brentford have not lost a game in the Premier League when they scored the opening goal (won 13, drawn three).

But the Bees have not scored in any of their last five meetings with Tottenham or beaten the North London outfit since 1948.

Spurs avoided losing three consecutive home games in the Premier League for the first time since September 2008 when they overcame Leeds last time out.

During that 4-3 home win, Conte's side scored in the first-half for the first time in their last nine games in all competitions.

Rodrigo Bentancur's last four goals for the club have all been scored in the 80th minute or later.

Prediction

Brentford have been solid at home this season, winning three, drawing three and losing only one of their seven games at Gtech Community Stadium.

And they will undoubtedly test Tottenham's inconsistent defensive structure with Toney to the fore.

Spurs have not kept a Premier League clean sheet in five and shipped eleven goals across that sequence of fixtures.

They could potentially be without some very important players for this one and it feels like a game where the hosts could turn up in better shape and earn victory, which can be backed at 3/1 via LiveScore Bet.

Toney, who scored a remarkable long-range effort as one of two goals against Wolfsburg last Saturday, could be a handful for Spurs as he seeks to show England what they missed at the World Cup.

The Bees hitman has bagged six in his last seven appearances and looks a good option to score anytime at 7/5 with LiveScore Bet.