Spurs come up against Manchester City on Super Sunday in the Premier League. It’s an important game for Antonio Conte’s men, but he will be cheering on from afar since he won’t attend the match for health reasons.
Winning this match would mean Spurs narrow the gap between them and Manchester City to just 6 points – significant in the title race.
This game feels all the more important to the North London club. Not only will it bridge the gap, but it’ll be a test to their mentality. Coming up against the Citizens the other week in the league, they were the subject of embarrassment, bottling a 2-0 lead at half-time to be turned over 4-2 in the end. This is the past now though and Spurs are eager to seek revenge in this match.
It’ll certainly be a tough ask but Spurs have the home advantage and if they field this lineup, it will maximise their chances.
Predicted goalkeeper for Spurs
A player in questionable form this season, to say the least, is Hugo Lloris. The French shot-stopper is nearing the end of his career and it’s clear the club plans to replace him in the summer. Until then, though, he is number one.
Predicted Spurs defence
It’ll be a back three for Spurs. Even though Conte won’t be there, they wouldn’t dare sway from his iconic defensive set-up. I mean, even after surgery, I wouldn’t mess with him – would you?!
The core of the defence is Christian Romero. The Argentine World Cup winner is the commander for Spurs, and one who will have a tough time facing Erling Haaland. However, if any Spurs player is up for the job this time around, you’d bet on it being Romero.
Joining Romero in the back three will be Eric Dier. The versatile Englishman will be key to overseeing pressure from the City attackers. Playing sometimes as a central midfielder, Dier knows all about intricate passing to make it out of a pressured situation – even if he does slip up, he has the defensive know-how to win back the ball. It’ll be interesting as well to see how Dier matches up to Haaland.
Then, it’ll be Ben Davies. Davies has been at Spurs long enough to prepare himself for matches like this. Davies will naturally drift out wide as he is excellent when running against opposing defenders. If he has the freedom to do so (which is a big ask against this City side), then he will drift out wide to give Spurs an extra element in defence.
Predicted Spurs midfield
This is where things become complicated for Spurs. Pape Sarr is currently injured, and it’s uncertain whether he will return for this match. According to Football London, he is expected to return this month, but it doesn’t help Spurs as they kick off on Sunday.
There does come an element of good news from this, though. I expect Pedro Porro to be given a very quick full debut against his former club. Replacing the struggling Emerson Royal at right-back is the best call, and it doesn’t matter if it seems harsh on Emerson – He is out of form, and this is a must-win game, to me it’s a no-brainer.
The two midfielders will be Spurs’ strongest asset. Rodrigo Bentancur will partner Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. This partnership works excellently well and with City possessing plenty of talent and flair, so Bentancur and Hojbjerg will need to be at their best to give Spurs a chance.
As the left-back, it will be Ivan Perisic. These days he is one of the first name on the team sheet. He is invaluable to Spurs in the final third, granting them 5 assists already this season. If there’s ever a time to add to that tally, it’s this match.
Predicted Spurs attack
Again, there are likely to be complications in the attack department for Spurs. It is not yet confirmed whether Richarlison will be available for this match, according to Football London. Anyway, he is not in great form, so I wouldn’t have started him anyway.
Instead, it’ll be Dejan Kulusevski who plays out wide for Spurs. Kulusevski has been in the starting eleven on and off this season, only starting 52% of the time, according to Transfermarkt. However, he is still prolific when he does start. This season, the Sweden international has scored twice and provided 5 assists.
The main man for Spurs will be Harry Kane, who has proven he should be trusted in big games. Playing in front of the home fans is what brings the best out of the prolific English striker. In this match, he will seek to show Erling Haaland he is the most important striker in the league.
To read about Erling Haaland’s weird departure hint, click here.
Starting out on the left will be Heung-Min Son. The South Korean international will hope for a turnaround in form in this match as he is not his usual prolific self this season. Often the man for big occasions last season, Tottenham still have hope he will come through – after all, the management and fans have never lost hope in their Sonny.
To read how we predict Manchester City to lineup, click here.
I predict that this game will finish 3-2 to Manchester City. I expect Spurs to put up a fight and I wouldn’t be surprised if my prediction is wrong – it’s a tough one. What do you think?