Tottenham Hotspur, led by Ange Postecoglou, will take on Burnley in the FA Cup on Friday. Following a recent Premier League comeback, the team is in top form.
Burnley, led by Vincent Kompany, has struggled since entering the Premier League. After 20 games, they are five points behind Everton in 17th place, having won only three games overall.
After losing the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle, Postecoglou will be keen to dive deep into this competition. Additionally, Spurs’ eighth-place result from last year means they will miss out on the European stage this year.
Heung-min Pape Matar Sarr, Son, and Yves Bissouma will all be missing as they travel to the Asia Cup and African Cup of Nations, but numerous regular starters should stay in their positions as Postecoglou tries to avoid an embarrassing situation tomorrow night.
With this in mind, it’s predicted the hosts will make six changes from the team that defeated Bournemouth 3-1 in the league last time out.
1.GK – Fraser Forster
While Postecoglou may decide to start veteran Fraser Forster in goal during Tottenham’s Carabao Cup penalty loss against Fulham back in August, Postecoglou should start first-choice shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario in goal for his first appearance outside of the Premier League.
2.RB – Emerson Royal
Emerson Royal hasn’t played right back in a while, but Pedro Porro’s dominant play and injuries along the backline have made the Brazilian versatile enough to cover for the absences.
Emerson, who has been fluctuating like the tide in the wind but has recently shown signs of increased stability, should be able to revert to his natural role on Friday night and provide the team’s starting right flanker with a much-needed respite.
3.CB – Eric Dier
When asked about Eric Dier’s future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Postecoglou was rather evasive. Although the seasoned England international has started just once this season, he will undoubtedly be granted a start against Burnley.
With Emerson going back out wide and star center backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven out due to injury, Dier, who has made 364 appearances for Spurs, ought to start.
4.CB – Ashley Phillips
Due to Tottenham’s injury crisis, Ben Davies has participated in every minute of the team’s last nine Premier League games. As a result, he should get a break against Burnley, which might allow young player Ashley Phillips to finally make his debut after joining from Blackburn Rovers for £3 million.
John Wenham, a Spurs expert, has dubbed the 18-year-old a “monster” because of his commanding and forceful play, which could persuade his manager to give him a bigger part.
5.LB – Destiny Udogie
Strong and powerful, Destiny Udogie has emerged as a revelation at left-back this season. He signed a contract with Udinese for £15 million the previous season and spent the 2022–23 season on loan after making his debut in England.
The £75k-per-week wizard has won 53% of his duels, completed 87% of his passes, and averaged 2.5 tackles, 2.4 clearances, and 6.4 ball recoveries so far this season, according to Sofascore.
6.DM – Oliver Skipp
Although 23-year-old Oliver Skipp has made frequent appearances for Tottenham this season, he has only made two Premier League starts and has never fully cemented himself as a major player.
It is anticipated that the Englishman, who has completed 88% of his passes on average over the last year, would maintain order in the park’s center tomorrow.
7.CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur had a rough 2023 after fracturing his ACL against Leicester City in February and missing October of play.
The Uruguayan came off the bench three more times before being sent back into the treatment room for the following six games after Spurs’ defeat at the hands of a lunging challenge from Matty Cash.
| Rodrigo Bentancur: Key Characteristics | |
|---|---|
| Strengths | Weaknesses |
| Passing | Discipline |
| Tackling | |
| Interceptions | |
| Blocking | |
| *Sourced via WhoScored | |
However, he started against Bournemouth in a display of promise, and will now need to start building his fitness and form.
8.CM – Giovani Lo Celso
Giovani Lo Celso was welcomed back to the team last summer after spending the previous campaign and a half on loan with Villarreal. He has since shown his worth with a number of significant performances over the past few months while James Maddison heals from an ankle injury.
According to FBref, the Argentina international is in the top 8% for shot-creating actions per 90 and among the top 1% of offensive midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for assists, pass completion, passes attempted, and progressive passes during the previous season.
9.RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski missed his first league match of the season against Bournemouth after picking up a one-match suspension, but he should return to give the Lilywhites energy and creativity in abundance.
Highlighting his best attributes, Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir recently said: “Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart.”
10.LW – Bryan Gil
One could think that Brennan Johnson would start against Kompany’s team because Son will be away on international duty for the next month or so, but Bryan Gil should only make his third start of the season.
The 22-year-old winger’s technical skill was once compared to “like Bernardo Silva” by former Spurs boss Antonio Conte. Although this hasn’t happened in England, maybe a standout performance is all that’s needed to change the game.
11.CF – Richarlison
Have a return to glory.After charming to deceive for a large portion of his time in London, Richarlison has returned to his goalscoring ways with style. He is once again totally threatening in the final third.
Alejo Veliz, who has been sidelined for several months due to a knee injury, will be replaced by the Brazilian, who has scored five goals in as many Premier League appearances.
Predicted Tottenham line-up in full: (GK) Fraser Forster; (RB) Emerson Royal, (CB) Eric Dier, (CB) Ashley Phillips, (LB) Destiny Udogie; (DM) Oliver Skipp, (CM) Rodrigo Bentancur, (CM) Giovani Lo Celso; (RW) Dejan Kulusevski, (LW) Bryan Gi; (CF) Richarlison.
