Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action after a fortnight of international hiatus. And Thomas Frank’s men will welcome Aston Villa with a near-full squad this Sunday at N17.
The players on international duty are back among the corridors at Hotspur Way. But one of them came with an injury concern in Yves Bissouma.
Additionally, the Dane head coach is also managing some tight turnarounds, so it will be interesting to see whether he pushes them into the thick of things or gives them a breather.
We take a look at a possible starting eleven that can line up in the tunnel at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of kickoff this weekend.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Aston Villa
Goalkeeper: Guglielmo Vicario
While there has been a lot of chatter around this whole goalkeeping thing in the past fortnight, Vicario remains the first-choice goalkeeper. He has been one of the more consistent players of late, and he has staked his claim as #1 at N17.
Defenders: Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie
We are expecting Frank to push up a back four, which is ideally the strongest in the current roster. Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie should take up the full-back spots. It will be interesting to see how both of them are pushed to balance the structure given their attack-first instinct.
Romero will come back into the starting lineup, and he’ll partner Micky van de Ven.
Midfield: Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha, Lucas Bergvall
Yves Bissouma’s injury will not force much of a reshuffle, given he has barely seen any minutes this season.
Rodrigo Bentancur is fit again and should slot into one of the midfield roles, while Joao Palhinha is expected to anchor the second phase at the base of the midfield.
And while Bergvall missed that trip to Leeds, he has been looking sharp when playing. He will get another run-in this weekend to start and prove himself.
Attack: Mohammed Kudus, Richarlison, Xavi Simons
Coming into the attacking side of things, Mohammed Kudus picks himself at the moment. He has been in excellent form both domestically and internationally.
While Xavi Simons should start on the opposite flank. He has shown flashes of his abilities, but he should take up the creator role as an interior with Udogie to overlap.
Given the lack of striking options with injuries at the moment, Richarlison leads the line again. There is an opportunity that Randal Kolo Muani could feature from the bench if fit enough.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Palhinha, Bergvall; Kudus, Richarlison, Simons