Spurs arrive at the Britannia on Sunday in fantastic form having dropped only 2 points since the start of September along with playing some of the most entertaining football in the league this season. However, Stoke continue to be one of the trickiest tests in English football and have already taken points off of Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United at home this season. With £1000 going to the top scorer in a 15 minute game up until Christmas, along with £100 to any winner of a Picklive perfect hat-trick (3 15-minute game wins in 1 match), it is vital to get your 5 player picks right.

After a turbulent August, with the protracted nature of Scott Parker’s signing and Luka Modric’s desire join Chelsea accompanying heavy defeats against the 2 Manchester clubs, Harry Redknapp’s side have undergone a huge change in fortunes and find themselves with the opportunity to move into 2nd place if they manage to win their games in hand.

If they are to do so, a key figure is likely to be Gareth Bale. The Welshman continues to develop as a player and is now a consistent threat on the left hand side with his pace, trickery and quality ball striking amongst his many outstanding attributes. In the last 3 Tottenham games that Picklive has covered, Bale has made a hugely significant impact. He scored 83 against Aston Villa, including an assist, provided 2 assists away to Fulham and got on the score sheet twice himself at home to QPR, amassing a huge 160 points. He also averaged more than 30 completed passing points in those 3 matches and has also managed plenty of crosses and interceptions to build up his points total.

The arrival of Scott Parker has been huge for the North London club, giving them a tough tackler and metronomic, steady passer to complement the array of talented attacking players that Spurs already had. Since his arrival from West Ham at the end of the summer transfer window, Tottenham have gone unbeaten in the league, winning all but 1 of their games, and Parker has been in terrific form individually, scoring highly in recent Picklive outings. Against Aston Villa, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers, Parker was his team’s third highest scoring player, averaging 85 points over the 3 fixtures in question. His huge number of passes, only bettered by Luka Modric, and the regularity of his interceptions, earning more than 20 points a game, have helped him gain such an impressive number of Picklive points and given Tottenham control to go with their dynamism.

However, as mentioned earlier, a trip to face the Potters is now one of the most difficult days any club has to encounter during a season. Following a run of uncharacteristic soft defeats, Tony Pulis’ side have returned to form with a win at home against Blackburn supplemented by a stubborn showing at Goodison Park leading to a 1-0 victory. With the lower reaches of the league still so condensed, the hosts will see this game as an opportunity to consolidate their 8th place position.

The Potters have not made too many Picklive outings of late but one man who has been an excellent performer when we have covered their games is Jermaine Pennant. The right winger was Stoke’s highest scorer last week against Dynamo Kiev, providing the assist for Kenwyne Jones’ goal, and also scored more than 60 points at home to Newcastle United and Manchester United. The obvious feature of Pennant’s game is his ability to retain the width for his team and deliver crosses. In the 3 games, he managed 24 completed crosses, earning him 72 points. As shown during the Europa League clash against Dynamo last week, the height that Stoke have in their team means there’s always a chance that Pennant’s crosses will find a team mate and maybe get him an assist. His dedication to contributing to the hard-working nature of his side is exemplified by him getting into double figures for interception points in each game. If you want to win the £1000 top prize, or £100 for a Picklive perfect hat-trick, having a solid, dependable and high-scoring player like Pennant could be a wise move.

One man with a point to prove will be Peter Crouch, playing for the 1st time against the team he left in the summer. Since his transfer, Crouch has given Stoke another direct threat but has also added a touch of class and experience to their side. His good form has been reflected in his last 2 Picklive starts at home to Newcastle and Manchester United. Stoke were hugely disappointing in their game against the Magpies, losing timidly at the hands of a Demba Ba hat-trick, but Crouch was still able to gain 10 points for an assist and 32 for completed passes, the 2nd biggest amount in the Stoke team. At home to the champions, Crouch made more successful passers than any of his team mates and chipped in with the equaliser. With Stoke likely to be put under pressure by Tottenham’s attacking excellence, the outlet of Crouch and his ability to retain possession, as well as maybe getting a goal if an opportunity arises, will be crucial for the home team to get anything out of this game.

With the visitors in such sparkling form and Stoke’s last 4 league games having seen 15 goals, attacking players are likely to have plenty of chances to decide what should be a thoroughly engaging fixture between 2 sides going well in the league.

Remember that we are giving away £1000 to the Picklive player who gets the most points in a 15-minute game up until Christmas continues, as does the offer of £100 to all of those who win Picklive perfect hat-tricks up until December 25th.

The game kicks of at 16.00 and is live on Sky Sports 1, you can get involved by making your picks here. Best of luck to you all!