Tottenham vs. Burnley Predictions: Son and Spurs bidding to chase down Golden Boot and top four

The penultimate Matchday of the 2021/22 season gets underway early on Sunday afternoon as Tottenham Hotspur welcome Burnley to London, live on BT Sport.

This is a game in which both sides have a lot on the line too, with each team operating in must-win mode at both ends of the table.

Spurs were able to claw-back Arsenal’s 4-point lead over them in the race for 4th on Thursday, dismantling the 10-man Gunners in a 3-0 victory to give themselves a slim hope of Champions League qualification.

They’ll still need their North London rivals to slip up against either Newcastle on Monday evening or Everton next weekend to stand any chance of being able to pip them to the ‘top four’ and should have to win both of their remaining games too.

Burnley, on the other hand, are fighting for their Premier League status at the opposite end of the table, and currently sit level on points alongside Leeds United, with goal difference keeping them out of the relegation zone.

It seemed like a wild decision to sack Sean Dyche when they did, especially having just beaten relegation rivals Everton, but the work Michael Jackson has done in caretaker charge has meant they’ve been able to Keep The Faith.

That ‘new manager bounce’ was ended unceremoniously by Aston Villa last weekend however, as goals from Danny Ings, Emiliano Buendia, and Ollie Watkins put the Villains well out of sight before Maxwell Cornet’s late consolation.

Before that, the Clarets had been on a four-match unbeaten streak that included wins against Southampton, Wolves, and Watford - the latter of which essentially condemned the Hornets to the Championship.

If they’re to win today they’ll have to do so without the help of Ben Mee or Ashley Westwood who have been ruled out, whilst James Tarkowski and Jay Rodriguez are both doubtful.

The confirmed absence of Mee and the potential absence of Tarkowski is really bad news for the visitors, and this fixture would be the first neither have featured in in the Premier League since the beginning of last season - which saw Burnley concede five in two games.

It’s somewhat of a defensive injury nightmare for the hosts too; Sergio Reguillon, Cristian Romero, and Matt Doherty are all out for the rest of the season, with Ryan Sessegnon, Davinson Sanchez, and Emerson Royal set to continue in their places.

Oliver Skipp and Japhet Tanganga are also unavailable for Antonio Conte’s side, meaning their bench is worryingly light when it comes to backline reinforcements.

A few weeks ago it looked like Mohamed Salah was guaranteed to pick up yet another Golden Boot, leading the league by a hatful of goals and showing no signs of slowing down.

By mid-March he had bagged 20 times in just 26 games (10 more than Son had managed in the same period) but has since gone on somewhat of a goal drought.

The Egyptian forward has scored only twice in his last eight Premier League games - an inevitable brace against Manchester United - and, while he still tops the charts as he celebrates Liverpool’s FA Cup victory, there’s someone breathing down his neck.

Heung-min Son is in better scoring form than any Premier League player right now, and he’s been lethal in front of goal in those last eight games.

The South Korean has an astonishing 10 goals in that time, only failing to score twice and contributing match-winning goals against Leicester City, West Ham United, and Aston Villa.

He’s contributed a goal and three assists in his last two home starts against the Clarets, but should be the focal point of Spurs’ attacks here as his teammates look to help him snatch a last-gasp Golden Boot.

Son’s impressive scoring run of late has seen him score multiple times on several occasions, and this game could see more of the same.

He scored braces in the games against both West Ham and Leicester, as well as helping himself to a hat-trick against Aston Villa.

The forward also missed ‘big’ chances against both Arsenal and Newcastle United that could have seen him score braces in those games, but he has been particularly clinical aside from that.

His 10 goals have come from just 12 shots on target, an astonishing record that will hopefully continue here today.