Tottenham Hotspur: Can Spurs Continue Unbeaten Streak to January?

With Tottenham's 3-1 win over Fulham last weekend at Craven Cottage, the team is sitting comfortably at fifth in the league table, riding the wave of an eight-game unbeaten streak.

It's a far cry from the club record set in 1949, going 22 games without a loss, but it's certainly nothing to sneeze at.

In fact, I believe the team will need to go unbeaten through the end of December to challenge the Manchester twins, Chelsea and upstart Newcastle and squeeze into one of the top three positions in the table.

Not losing in the next seven weeks will be pivotal for Tottenham, not so much for the points to slide up the table but the reputation it will have going into the January transfer window.

You want Gary Cahill or Junior Hoilett? Go the next eight games without a loss, double that unbeaten streak and add a couple of key players. Spend the spring beating up on the Bolton's and Blackburn's of the league and you've got a Champions League spot all but gift-wrapped for you.

It will also show whether or not Tottenham has left behind last year's trend of playing down to their competition. Until January, the only two teams ranked eighth or higher that Spurs has on their schedule are Chelsea and Aston Villa.

Can Tottenham go unbeaten in their next eight games? Click ahead for my preview and see for yourself.

November 21: Tottenham vs. Aston Villa

I'm sorry, but I'm just not impressed by Aston Villa, or last weekend's 3-2 victory over Norwich City.

The only reason Aston Villa is as high as they are in the league table is because they've been able to scrape up six draws. If only one or two of those were losses, the boys of Villa Park would be 11th and an automatic tally in the wins column.

Even with a win last weekend, Villa can't be considered legitimate as Norwich City isn't nearly as good as other newly promoted teams Swansea City and Queens Park Rangers. While Swans were beating Bolton and QPR were nearly upsetting Manchester City, the Canaries were losing to one of the most over-rated teams in the Premiership.

This wasn't so much a win for Aston Villa as it was them just being less bad than Norwich City.

Tottenham is going to show the Premiership just how bad Aston Villa really is, beating them by a predicted score of 3-1.

November 26: Tottenham at West Bromwich Albion

West Bromwich Albion is not nearly in the same class as most Premiership teams and their most recent 3-0 loss to Arsenal proved it.

The Baggies have only won three games all season and have collected six losses, the fourth-most in the league this year. They're not even good enough to scrape by with draws, these guys just straight up lose.

The only times they haven't lost, it's to teams like Wolverhampton and Fulham, clubs that will be struggling not to be relegated.

Tottenham blanks West Bromwich Albion 2-0 as the Baggies continue their struggle to find the back of the net.

December 3: Tottenham vs. Bolton

It just keeps getting easier and easier for Tottenham.

Despite the apparent ease of the match, this is one of the more important games since Blackburn on October 23.

Why? Because it will indicate whether the team has turned a corner. Is Spurs able to put away inferior competition or are they still playing down to teams at the bottom of the table?

I think anyone who has watched Tottenham play knows they are exponentially better than last year.

They'll triumph at White Hart Lane in a 3-0 win over a nearly defenseless Bolton team that has given up a league-high 27 goals through 11 matches so far this season.

December 11: Tottenham at Stoke City

After 11 matches, Stoke City is meeting expectations and is virtually the same team with the same motto as the last few seasons—"Do just enough to avoid relegation."

The Potters are tied with newly promoted Queens Park Rangers for 11th in the league table, but their home record isn't as bad as you'd imagine. They've drawn with Chelsea and Manchester United, beaten Liverpool and Fulham and lost only once to an unbeaten Newcastle United.

Before playing Tottenham, they'll have gone up against three mediocre teams—Queens Park Rangers, Blackburn and Everton—and will build their league standing (as well as some confidence) going into hosting a Spurs team that may very well be taking an 11-game unbeaten streak into Britannia Stadium.

I predict this game will be a defensive duel, ending with a low-scoring draw that won't get higher than 1-1.

December 18: Tottenham vs. Sunderland

Tottenham's hosting of Sunderland marks the fourth-straight match where the team will be going up against competition that is in the bottom half of the league table.

But Sunderland are the best team among them, largely because of star goalkeeper Simon Mignolet, who has let in only 11 goals and recorded three clean sheets on the season. The Guardian is reporting that Mignolet will miss some time after having surgery on a broken nose but by December 18th, he should be back in front of goal.

Mignolet is a masterful keeper who is the reason that the Black Cats were able to draw against Liverpool, Swansea City and West Bromwich Albion. Without his play, they'd be sitting with Blackburn and Wigan Athletic among the teams soon to be relegated.

I love games where it boils down to one keeper against the other, so I'm very much looking forward to this one between Simon Mignolet and Tottenham's Brad Friedel.

In the end, however, Tottenham will win 2-1 with Jermain Defoe coming off the bench and scoring in the last 15 minutes.

December 22: Tottenham vs. Chelsea

Fans at White Hart Lane are truly getting an early Christmas present with Tottenham hosting Chelsea just three days before the holiday.

Tottenham may very well be getting an early Christmas present as well—from the Premiership's scheduling office.

When Chelsea comes to White Hart Lane, they'll be in the middle of the most grueling part of their schedule—playing three matches in nine days. After traveling to play Wigan Athletic on December 17th, they have to come play a derby in White Hart Lane on December 22nd before hosting Fulham on December 26th.

Will Chelsea rest their starters and settle for victories against Wigan Athletic and Fulham? Those two opponents present far less of an obstacle than Tottenham.

Or will Chelsea and manager Andre Villas-Boas go for broke and put in their best players regardless of fitness?

I think this match will end in a 2-2 draw, as both clubs leave White Hart Lane with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads.

December 27: Tottenham at Norwich City

Norwich City has played better than their record, and that's saying something considering they're newly promoted and sitting at ninth in the league table.

The team's loss to Chelsea early in the season wasn't nearly as bad as the final score indicated, and if Canaries goalkeeper John Ruddy hadn't been shown a red card for knocking Didier Drogba unconscious—an unfair call in my opinion—the scoreline would have ended 1-1.

Their 4-5-1 formation kept Manchester United scoreless for nearly 70 minutes, and the most recent Aston Villa game is the only one I'd say that Norwich City really deserved to lose.

Norwich City is a fine team, but an inexperienced one, led by an inexperienced manager in Paul Lambert. They let some games get away from them, like when they allowed Blackburn to build a 3-1 lead and needed two goals in the final eight minutes to keep a point.

Tottenham, however, is one of the best teams in the league led by the best manager in the league and will beat Norwich City by a score of 2-1.

December 31: Tottenham at Swansea City

Tottenham will finish the first half of their season against Swansea City, but they won't be done with the roughest part of their schedule.

When they travel to Liberty Stadium in Wales, the club will be in the middle of a stretch that sees them playing four games in less than two weeks.

The good thing for Tottenham is that Swansea City will be even more worn down, having to travel to Aston Villa two days after hosting Spurs.

I think both teams will be worn down and will be inserting several reserve players in the starting lineup. Danny Graham and Scott Sinclair will wreak havoc against a Tottenham roster thin of defenders, but there's enough offensive weapons on Spurs' side to be able to compensate.

Tottenham will earn a 2-2 draw at Swansea City, going into the transfer window fatigued but unbeaten since September.

What do you guys think?