Tottenham Hotspur will lock horns with Leeds United on Saturday afternoon hoping to return to their winning ways in the Premier League. While the London club are coming into this fixture on the back of a 1-1 draw at Molineux last week, Bielsa’s men ran riot against West Brom at the Hawthorns on Monday night as they put five past them in the process.
After the postponement of the midweek visit of Fulham, Spurs have had an extra few days of rest, and hence, Jose Mourinho is expected to field his strongest possible starting line-up against the Yorkshire outfit. El Loco, on the other hand, is expected to keep changes to a minimum for the clash this weekend as the Argentine coach is not often known for introducing sudden changes to his starting XI.
Let’s look at how things are shaping up ahead of Leeds’ trip to North London.
Team News
There’s some good news from the injury front for Mourinho on the New Year’s Eve.
Lucas Moura and Carlos Vinicius have trained this week and the Brazilian duo should be fine to face Leeds on Saturday.
However, Real Madrid loanee Gareth Bale will be on the sidelines for a few more weeks due to a calf problem he picked up during the 3-1 win over Stoke City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. Furthermore, Spurs will be without the services of key midfielder Giovani Lo Celso as Jose, in his post-match press conference last week, confirmed that the Argentine international is set to miss the whole of the festive period due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the Lilywhites’ 2-0 defeat to Leicester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium just over a week ago.
“Gio no, he will not be fit. I don’t know how long he will be out, I believe that he will not be playing in this period of Christmas and New Year for sure.” – The Portuguese tactician revealed.
Flipping over to Leeds United, Mateusz Klich remains a doubt after he limped off around the 58-minute-mark due to a thigh problem at the Hawthorns. Besides, club captain Liam Cooper’s (abdominal strain) return date hasn’t been set yet.
Talking Tactics And Key Men
The prolific duo of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min is expected to carry most of the Lilywhites’ creative and goal-scoring burdens upfront. Up against the Leeds setup, which is infamous for allowing the opposition forwards with acres of space, the pair would be looking forward to adding to their combined tally of 20 goals and 14 assists this season. Steven Bergwijn hasn’t featured as a part of the front three since missing 2 big chances in the 2-1 defeat at Anfield, and Erik Lamela could slot in on the right-hand side for the approaching home encounter.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele have been immense for Spurs this term, and Klich’s absence will certainly help them outnumber Bielsa’s men at the centre of the park.
Patrick Bamford continues to be the target man for the visitors; however, his allies – Rodrigo, Raphinha, and Harrison – have been nothing short of impressive this far. Featuring as the full-backs, Ezgjan Alioski and Stuart Dallas will continue to add an extra dimension to their side’s attack while Kalvin Phillips slots in as the holding midfielder to shield the ‘back four’.
Predicted Starting Line-ups
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting XI:
Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Ndombele; Son, Lamela, Kane
Leeds United possible starting XI:
Meslier; Alioski, Struijk, Ayling, Dallas; Phillips; Harrison, Rodrigo, Klich, Raphinha; Bamford
Our Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Leeds United.
