After managing to steal a hard-fought points at White Hart Lane against Liverpool, Mauricio Pochettino’s men will have a tough task ahead of them this week when they travel to the Britannia stadium in Stoke this weekend. The draw against the Reds saw Tottenham Hotspur take 5 points from their first 3 games as they stand as one of the six teams in the league yet to face a defeat this season. Though the game against Liverpool would have dented their confidence going into the international break, they will be relatively happy with the start to their campaign this season.
That is in stark contrast to the situation in Stoke where Mark Hughes is already under pressure to lift the team up from the bottom of the table. Stoke City who started their season with a draw against Middlesbrough, then lost to Manchester City and Everton in the last two games to take just a points so far and stand at the bottom of the points table. The Potters have not looked a dangerous side but their league position at the moment does not show their true form. Though they were outplayed in the last 20 minutes of the game against Manchester City, they looked decent for most parts and were also up to the task against the Toffees only to lose on an own goal.
Both clubs have in the past produced some sizzling games enjoyable even for the neutral and with the international break providing enough time for the managers to set their teams up strongly, this game will also be an exciting affair.
Date & Time
Saturday, 10th September. KO: 3:00 pm (BST)
Venue
Bet365 Stadium, Stoke City.
Team News
The manager will dearly miss the services of Mame Biram Diouf and Xherdan Shaqiri both of whom will be back for the next weekend. Apart from them, Mark Hughes also has the likes of Ibrahim Afellay, Stephen Ireland, Jack Butland, Jakob Haugaard and Glen Johnson on the sideline unavailable for this game, making Stoke’s side a bit weak for this game. However, the likes of Arnautovic, Bojan and Bony will be expected to provide the Potters with some mettle on the field against Pochettino’s men.
The Spurs, on the other hand, have very few injuries to worry about. First-choice left-back and the scorer of the equaliser against Liverpool in the last game, Danny Rose has picked up an injury on international duty and is ruled out for this game. Moussa Dembele is expected to return next week giving the manager some strength in the attack. One good news for Pochettino is the return of Hugo Lloris from injury but the manager will have to decide on using the in-form Vorm or Lloris on goal for the trip to the Britannia.
Predicted lineups
Stoke City
Given; Bardsley, Shawcross, Martins Indi, Pieters; Allen, Whelan, Imbula; Krkic, Bony, Arnautovic
Tottenham Hotspur
Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Wanyama; Sissoko, Alli, Eriksen; Kane
Predictions
The Spurs have looked a bit lethargic, to say the least, since the start of the season and though the international break can give enough energy to get past this hurdle, Stoke City know that they have a great chance of getting the better of Pochettino’s side this weekend. The Spurs will have to be at their best to get anything from this game as Stoke City, who have looked decent in spite of winning just a point, will do all they can to take all three points from this game at home.
New summer signings Martins Indi and Moussa Sissoko are expected to make the starting XI for this game and if they are excited enough to prove themselves, it might be a night for the newcomers. Surely, this is a game that will attract interests even from the neutrals.
Our Prediction
Stoke 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
