Tottenham Hotspur return to action; this time around they will kick off with Europa League ball as they host Qarabağ FK at White Hart Lane as they look to build on their win against Brentford at the weekend.
The European second tier has a reputation of Premier League clubs giving opportunities to young players and players that need to build minutes, and we can see Ange Postecoglou do just so this Thursday.
For a Tottenham faithful, it’s a wonderful sight to watch academy stars get some minutes under their belt for the first team, and expectedly, there could be a few who can do so.
Wenham predicts big changes for Tottenham’s Europa League opener
Podcast host John Wenham, the owner of the reputable Spurs podcast Lilywhite Rose, believes the club gaffer should make up to seven changes in Spurs opening UEFA Europa League fixture. He believes that the quartet of Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Destiny Udogie will keep their place in the starting eleven in the Lilywhites 3-1 win over Brentford.
One of the surprise tips that Wenham provided is for Italian international Guglielmo Vicario to be benched for the game and for Fraser Forster to start between the woods following the 27-year-old’s struggles in the past couple of games.
And speaking in an exclusive interview with Tottenham News, he names the players he expects to come into Postecoglou’s side.
-> Former scout comes in support of £70,000 per week Tottenham forward following recent preformances
Wenham said:
“Looking ahead to the Qarabağ game I think we’re likely to see plenty of changes.
“I think Forster will come back in goal [for Vicario]. In terms of the back four, I think Ben Davies and Radu Drăgușin will start together. Davies did really well against Coventry City. It was a real captain’s display, and he made a vital goal-line block as well.
“I think Archie Gray will play at right-back and Udogie is likely to start at left-back. However, he could make way for Micky van de Ven at half-time.
“In midfield I could see Bentancur starting alongside Pape Matar Sarr and Lucas Bergvall. Solanke and Johnson will likely keep their places. On the left who knows, we might see a change there too.”
Has Ange learned his lessons?
When the Australian international made wholesale changes last time around, it almost cost him a place in the League Cup. The Greek-born tactician made eight changes in Spurs win against Coventry City, where they clinched a win from the jaws of defeat. The question is, has Ange learnt something from that, or he sticks with resting the key players for weekend Premier League matches?
-> Tottenham’s 5 best PL opening day wins
However, the fact that the Lilywhites play at home could push him to name a substantially different side to what we saw against.
Do you think Ange Postecoglou should make wholesale changes against Qarabağ FK?
