Predicted Tottenham Lineup To Face Juventus In The Champions League
After earning the North London bragging rights against Arsenal at Wembley, it is time for Tottenham Hotspur to shift their focus to arguably their biggest game of the season against Juventus in the Champions League.
Spurs travel to Turin to face Juventus in the first-leg of the round of 16 on Tuesday with hopes of getting a positive result before hosting the Serie A champions on March 8 at Wembley.
Juventus, meanwhile are in a scintillating form of late, having not lost in any competition since the 3-2 defeat at Sampdoria in November last year.
Team News
There are no fresh injury concerns for Pochettino as he is expected to fly with an almost fully-fit squad to Italy.
However, defender Toby Alderweireld is expected to miss the Juventus clash, with the Telegraph reporting that Mauricio Pochettino has left the defender back in London to work on his fitness. This comes as big blow for Spurs who had hoped to see Alderweireld line up alongside Jan Vertonghen against Juventus.
Meanwhile, new signing Lucas Moura could make his long-awaited Spurs debut.
Probable Tottenham XI
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Manager: Mauricio Pochettino
Hugo Lloris (GK)
Arguably the biggest game of the season for Spurs, there is no way Pochettino is going to field Michel Vorm, meaning Hugo Lloris is set to start at Juventus.
Kieran Trippier (RB)
The decision whether to go with Trippier or Aurier could cause a bit of a headache for Pochettino. But I feel our gaffer would go with Trippier, who played extremely well against Manchester United and Arsenal. He deserves to start at right-back on Tuesday.
Davinson Sanchez (CB)
This is going to be Sanchez’s biggest test of the season. His decision-making and awareness have to be top notch if Spurs are to return back home all smiles.
Jan Vertonghen (CB)
The leader and organiser of the defence, Vertonghen would have a big task cut out on Tuesday evening. Just like Sanchez, he has to be extra vigilant and sharp in order to keep the free-flowing Juventus attackers at bay.
Ben Davies (LB)
Davies deserves to be in the line-up for his consistent displays this season. Despite Danny Rose being fit, the Welshman should get the nod.
Eric Dier (CM)
Dier has looked decent in the last couple of games. When most thought it was time for Poch to drop the England international, he came up with fine performances against United and Arsenal.
Mousa Dembele (CM)
Growing in confidence with every passing game; Dembele seems to have found his rhythm back. The Belgian midfielder is expected to come up with a strong performance against the Turin giants.
Christian Eriksen (RW)
Eriksen is the player known for making Spurs tick in the attack. His creativity and inventiveness could all come into the fray, and if Juventus afford the Dane time and space, he could become a deadly customer to deal with.
Dele Alli (CAM)
Alli has shown signs of coming back to life lately. His best game of the season came against Real Madrid and the England international would be determined to recreate something similar at Juventus.
Heung-min Son (LW)
Son’s unpredictability and direct running could cause Juventus defenders a lot of problems. He is one of Spurs’ most important players and Poch would rely on him heavily to deliver the goods.
Harry Kane (ST)
There are no doubts as to who is going to lead the line at Juventus stadium. It is one of those big nights for Kane, and he would relish the challenge to deliver the knuckle-blow when it is least expected. His character and approach to keep going would make a lot of difference on Tuesday.
How many times did Dier give the ball away on Saturday? answer, too many times, I think Wanyama should play in his place, he’s a safer bet for me.