Tottenham Hotspur have found consistency hard to come by this season. Last weekend, they failed to take advantage of the points dropped by Liverpool at the Liberty Stadium. They still remain a couple of points off the 4th place in the points table and only compounded their problems, failing to beat Newport in the 4th round of the FA Cup just a couple of days ago.
They have a chance to put these results behind them when they welcome Manchester United to Wembley this Wednesday. United are unbeaten in their last 8 games in all competitions and beat Burnley in the previous round of the competition. But Pochettino’s men will know that they have what it takes to steal all three points and here is the predicted lineup they might field for this tie:
Team News:
Mauricio Pochettino will be ecstatic, as he has the likes of Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose, Erik Lamela and Hugo Lloris all coming back from injury layoffs for this game. He will, however, still be without the services of defenders Toby Alderweireld, Serge Aurier and midfielder Harry Winks, who are still nursing injuries. Pochettino is expected to shift to a 3-man backline, to try and give his side an edge over the visitors.
Expected lineup (3-4-3):
Defense:
French international Hugo Lloris is finally back in action and should take over Michel Vorm as the first choice shot-stopper in this clash. Eric Dier has been effective as a CB this season and should keep his place on the right side of the backline while Jan Vertonghen will add some much-needed experience to the Spurs defence.
Youngster Davinson Sanchez, who is yet to find consistency at the back, could start at the heart of the backline for Pochettino’s side.
Midfield:
With Serge Aurier out injured, Kieran Trippier should start as a wing-back on the right flank. He will be up against Alexis Sanchez and will have his work cut out at both ends of the field. Danny Rose, who is just back from an injury, should start on the left flank as a wing-back, adding some width to the attack when needed.
Mousa Dembele is one of the first names on the team sheet for Pochettino this season. He should keep his place in the side, along with Victor Wanyama, who will add some stability to the side.
Attack:
Harry Kane has been in terrific form recently but has not been at his best in the last couple of games. However, he is usually pumped up for the big games and will be the biggest threat for the Red Devils in this game.
Eriksen is finally back from an injury lay off and should be back in the first team, on the right flank while Dele Alli, who is low on confidence, will look to make things happen on the left flank.
Here is how they might line up:
