"It might actually be a slightly underwhelming" - Chris Sutton predicts interesting scoreline in London derby between Brentford and Tottenham

Former Premier League striker Chris Sutton believes the upcoming league fixture between Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur will be a rather dull draw. The Englishman has predicted a 1-1 scoreline for the encounter.

The Premier League is set to resume on Monday (26 December) after a thrilling FIFA World Cup that saw Argentina and Lionel Messi lift the trophy. Brentford and Tottenham will kick off the restart of the English top tier at the Gtech Community Stadium on Boxing Day.

Tottenham have had a great campaign so far and find themselves fourth in the league table. However, the Lilywhites have struggled to secure victories in the more challenging fixtures, losing to Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool this term.

Meanwhile, Brentford are currently tenth in the standings and will look to climb up the top half of the table with a victory against Antonio Conte's side. The Bees have been in great form, winning 4-0 against Manchester United and 2-1 against Manchester City this term.

Sutton insists that the fixture will end in a 1-1 draw. He said (via BBC Sport):

"It's hard to remember what most teams did in their last games before the World Cup, but I have not forgotten Brentford's stunning win at Manchester City, with Ivan Toney scoring twice."

"Toney, who didn't make it into the England squad, will be looking to pick up where he left off while Tottenham will be hoping Harry Kane hits the ground running after his return from Qatar."

He added:

"Spurs have got Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski fit again, which will help but Richarlison is out injured for a few weeks and they are going to miss him. I'd love to say this will be a thriller to bring back Premier League football with a bang but my gut feeling is it might actually be a slightly underwhelming draw."

"We have to pay great attention" - Antonio Conte shares thoughts on Tottenham vs Brentford

Conte believes his side's upcoming fixture against the Bees will be difficult and requires complete focus. The Italian boss also highlighted last season's encounter between the two teams on 23 April, which resulted in a 0-0 draw.

Speaking to the media in a pre-match press conference, Conte said (via football.london):

"For us to play against Brentford last season was really difficult as talking about a team strong physically and good at set pieces. We have to pay great attention. It's a strange situation to play so quickly after only one week after World Cup I think."

Tottenham are undefeated in their last five matches against the Bees in all competitions. It remains to be seen who will come out on top in London derby on Boxing Day.