On first glance, it's hard to understand why Phil Brown's team are the 11/5 (bet365) outsiders to win Monday night's match at the KC Stadium. After all, they are four points ahead of their opponents in the Premier League, are playing at home in this match and managed to beat Spurs at White Hart Lane last autumn. In addition, Tottenham have lost their last seven games on the road, so just why are the bookies offering a best price 7/5 (Boylesports) that Harry Redknapp's team come away with the three points?

Their odds are certainly based on the team's potential, rather than their track record this term. While Redknapp's appointment as manager saw the team embark on a run which lifted them out of the bottom three, they have failed to build on this mini-revival to the extent where their participation in the UEFA Cup is being regarded as a minor inconvenience. With a second leg against Shakhtar on Thursday, not to mention a Carling Cup final against Manchester United the following Sunday, it's vital that the north London get some breathing space at the foot of the table by winning this one.

It's likely that Robbie Keane (6/1 Coral) and Roman Pavlyuchenko (7/1 Ladbrokes) will be the preferred strike pairing for the visitors, with the former looking for his first goal since re-joining Tottenham. Many of Spurs' starting XI (including the above) will have had a rest of more than a fortnight since drawing 0-0 with Arsenal, and they're 10/3 (Coral) to come out of the traps flying by leading at half-time and full-time.

However, some might prefer to swerve that type of bet, especially as Hull are also scrapping for their lives at the bottom of the league. City got off to an amazing start to life in the top flight, toppling Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham in successive weekends, although many might argue that they were punching above their weight and are now showing their true colours. The Tigers haven't won in the Premier League since 6th December, although Sportingbet do offer 8/1 that they repeat their 1-0 victory at the Lane last October. With both teams desperate for a win and pushing plenty of players forward, over 2.5 goals seems like a sensible wager (49/50 Ladbrokes).