So the Lilly-Whites maintained their stainless run of form in the Premier League as they defeated the newly promoted Premier League side Middlesbrough last weekend. The 24-year-old North Korean Son Heung-Min, who almost left the club in the recently concluded transfer window, scored a brace to seal the deal for the side.
With that being done, the side will now be preparing for the Champions League showdown. The manager, Mauricio Pochettino, will be travelling with his players to Arena CSKA, Russia, on Tuesday to face CSKA Moscow and will be looking to clinch all the three points.
The side is looking all confident as they are in a fine form, but the Champions League fixtures need a mental stability and that is something Pochettino must work upon. The side is unarguably one of the best in the Premier League, but they still lack the experience of the top level.
CSKA, on the other hand, are a confident side as well. They did find themselves two goals behind in their opening game of the Champions League, but they managed to grab a point out of the fixture and that easily serves the level of willingness CSKA are having (not saying Tottenham are poor).
A tough battle is expected this Tuesday night and so, here is the predicted line up for Tottenham:
Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris-
Absolutely no doubt about that! The French international was barely tested in the last fixture, but that surely will not be the case in Russia. Players like Lacina Traore and Roman Eremenko will be always looking to fire a ball towards the keeper and hence, he will have to be on his toes.
Defence: Walker; Alderweireld; Vertonghen; Rose-
It is safe to say that Kyle Walker is on to something big, very big. The 26-year-old Englishman, who recently signed a new contract with the club, has been firing all the cylinders in the season. His flashy runs on the flank can really threaten the Russians in the fixture, and his presence will surely serve the side one way or the other.
The centre back pairing is expected to be the same of; Alderweireld and Vertonghen. The Belgian pair was at its best last weekend. The Belgians managed to sit comfortably at the back and barely let the Boros to take a shot on goal. But as mentioned earlier, the table might turn in the upcoming game.
The manager has recently hinted Danny Rose might mark his return in the fixture and in that case, he might be the first choice ahead of Ben Davies.
Holding Pair: Dier; Wanyama-
“We have some players like Erik Dier and Danny Rose who are very close to fitness, and we have to see whether we will take some risks of not.” – Pochettino
Nothing has been said about Dembele and hence, a holding pair of Dier and Wanyama is expected to step onto the field yet again. The Englishman missed the last couple of games and the manager has now hinted that he might feature in the Champions League tie.
Wanyama, in the last fixture, was deployed in a deeper role, but with the arrival of Dier in the line-up, he might be given the freedom to rush forward and join the attack. Well, he isn’t the most prolific player in front of the goal, but he can find that killer pass in the game.
Attacking Trio: Son Heung-min; Alli; Eriksen-
The same trio is expected to be featured in Russia. The South Korean already has notched four goals in four appearances and will be looking to add more to his tally. His work rate has been superb and his presence in front of the goal has been very lethal and the manager too will be looking to build something on that.
Dele Alli, who was played in a deeper role last time out, didn’t perform as expected. His true calibre is only reflected when deployed just behind the striker, and the manager might keep this fact in mind against the Russians.
Finally, the last trump in the attacking trio will be the Danish international, Christian Eriksen. It is safe to say that he is the Engine of the team as his passes are something that the side could really build an attack on.
Striker: Vincent Janssen-
Spurs are sure about Harry Kane, but they do have a prolific figure to cover up the terms. The new arrival from AZ hasn’t asserted his authorities yet, but his teamwork and link up play has really been very impressive. The 22-year-old is yet to make his mark on the side, but this could well be it. CSKA have a tough defence to beat, but his trickery could well be an answer for the side.
