Sunderland v Tottenham, Premier League: Where to Watch Live, Preview and Probable Teams

Follow live coverage of Sunderland v Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League here

Spurs travel to the Stadium of Light for the Premier League's final round of matches in 2012, on the back of a strong 4-0 win over Aston Villa on Boxing Day. Sunderland, meanwhile, will be boosted by a similarly impressive win - the Black Cats beat champions Manchester City 1-0 at home, with ex-City midfielder Adam Johnson scoring the only goal.

Where to Watch Live

Kick-off is set for 12.45 pm GMT. Live coverage is on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1 HD. BBC Radio 5 live will have radio commentary. Catch highlights on Match of the Day, on BBC One and BBC One HD at 10.25 pm GMT.

Overview

Martin O'Neill has now recorded two 1-0 wins on the trot; Sunderland beat Southampton, at St Mary's, last week. The six points have boosted the Wearside club to 13th in the Premier League and the club now has a healthy seven point buffer to the relegation zone.

Recent results have been fairly impressive for the club, with three wins in the last five. And given the two defeats came against Manchester United and Chelsea, O'Neill has had an excellent Christmas season. It isn't going to get easier though and the players need to continue performing at this level, with this match against Spurs followed by a trip to Merseyside to play Liverpool.

Sunderland's home form was poor up until the 3-0 defeat of reading in early December, with only one win in seven games. However, since then the Black Cats have won two of two league fixtures and Andre Villas-Boas will be wary of the confidence such results can give. Spurs' away form can be hit or miss, with five wins and four defeats from the nine games so far.

Having said that, the 4-0 dismantling of the Villans, at Villa Park, in the midweek fixture is a good sign. It could be argued Paul Lambert's side were half-beaten even before the kick-off; the struggling Midlands club were hammered 8-0 by Chelsea, at Stamford Bridge last week. And perhaps this will be a sterner test for the White Hart Lane club.

The good news for Spurs fans is the club has been in excellent form in recent weeks. The club has lost only once in nine game since the disastrous north London derby defeat to Arsenal; the one loss was at Goodison Park against Everton. And, as an extra boost, Spurs have not conceded in three games.

Team Form

Sunderland

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W W L W L
• Last Match: Sunderland 1 - 0 Manchester City

Tottenham Hotspur

• Last Five (all competitions, most recent first): W D W L W
• Last Match: Aston Villa 0 - 4 Tottenham

Team News

O'Neill's biggest absentee will be left back Danny Rose. The 22 year old has been in superb form this season but is actually on loan from Tottenham, meaning he cannot play against his parent club. Aside from Rose, ex-United defender Wes Brown and midfielder Lee Cattermole (both knee) remain sidelined. Another ex-United defender, John O'Shea, will return to the first team after illness forced him to miss the visit of City.

Probable Line-up: Mignolet; Bardsley, Cuellar, Kilgallon, O'Shea; Larsson, Gardner, Vaughan, Johnson; Sessegnon; Fletcher

Spurs will welcome left back Benoit Assou-Ekotto to the first team but the Cameroonian has yet to regain full match fitness and will likely only be a substitute for this match. Belgian midfielder Moussa Dembele (thigh) was removed from the match against Villa after a bruising encounter and is unlikely to be risked for this game. American forward Clint Dempsey (groin) is also a doubt. French defender Younes Kaboul (knee) remains a long-term absentee and England midfielder Tom Huddlestone (knee) faces a late fitness test.

Probable Line-Up: Lloris; Walker, Gallas, Dawson, Vertonghen; Lennon, Sigurdsson, Parker, Bale; Defoe, Adebayor