Tottenham Hotspur are hoping to maintain pressure on league leaders, Liverpool, when they play hosts to Leicester City on Sunday. The Lilywhites have endured a rough patch recently, having been held by Crystal Palace before losing to the Reds in midweek. They are now running the risk of moving further down the table should they fail to secure all three points this weekend.
Leicester City, on the other hand, have also been one of the best performing teams in the Premier League this season. The Foxes are currently fourth in the league table with 24 points on the board, meaning a win on Sunday should be enough for them to overtake Tottenham and potentially, third-placed Southampton.
Tottenham Hotspur Vs Leicester City Tactical Preview
Talking Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Jose Mourinho is likely to make one little tactical tweak from the last game by employing a more traditional 4-2-3-1 rather than the 4-4-2 hybrid we saw against Liverpool, with Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min forming the first line of press. That may change this weekend, ultimately allowing Kane to become more expressive in regards to his movement and tendency to track back.
Leicester City
Brendan Rodgers, on the other hand, should persist with a classic 3-4-3 that offers them certain advantages during possession. Having one extra man in transition also helps them ease the flow from defence to midfield, though things could get a little tricky against Tottenham’s solid second line of press this weekend.
Team News
Tottenham Hotspur
Mourinho could be blessed with the return of Gareth Bale this weekend, but Erik Lamela and Japhet Tanganga should remain unavailable. It also remains likely that the Portuguese tactician would want to make a few personnel changes with Tanguy Ndombele and Lucas Moura coming at the expense of Giovani Lo Celso and Steven Bergwijn. Sergio Reguilon could also replace Ben Davies at left-back.
Predicted Lineup: Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Sissoko, Hojbjerg, Ndombele; Moura, Kane, Son.
Leicester City
The Sunday game for Leicester City could witness the potential return of Timothy Castagne after a long spell on the sidelines. Jonny Evans is also back from suspension, though Rodgers will continue to miss out on the services of other key players including Ricardo Pereira and Caglar Soyuncu.
Predicted Lineup: Schmeichel; Fofana, Evans, Fuchs; Castagne, Ndidi, Tielemans, Justin; Perez, Vardy, Maddison.
Key Men
Tottenham Hotspur
Despite the sheer attacking quality on both ends of the pitch, the real battle could ensue in midfield where, from Tottenham Hotspur’s perspective, the onus will be on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to control things once again. Things could, however, get a little challenging up against the dynamic duo of Youri Tielemans and Wilfred Ndidi.
Leicester City
As for Leicester City, they are banking on the services of star striker Jamie Vardy to provide the goods once again. The Englishman has the pace, tenacity as well as the mentality to cause problems for the Tottenham defence that has otherwise looked solid so far this campaign.
