Tottenham Hotspur will lock horns with Dinamo Zagreb at the Stadion Maksimir on Thursday night, hoping to pick up a win and proceed into the further stages of the UEFA Europa League campaign.
The away side will probably opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation with a couple of tweaks from their last game. Dele Alli might get the nod over Lucas Moura, whereas Serge Aurier looks likely to make his way back into the starting eleven.
4-2-3-1 Tottenham Hotspur Predicted Lineup To Face Dinamo Zagreb
Defence
Hugo Lloris will continue to operate between the sticks for Spurs after failing to keep a clean sheet in his last match. Eric Dier will replace Toby Alderweireld to form the centre-half partnership with Davidson Sanchez at the heart of Tottenham’s backline. Serge Aurier and Sergio Reguilon should cover up the wide positions, fulfilling the roles of right-back and left-back respectively.
While Mourinho will ask Aurier to keep things tight at the back, Reguilon will be given the freedom to burst forward at times and create troubles for Zagreb down the right flank.
Midfield
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Tanguy Ndombele will slot into the holding midfield positions, thus shielding the back four, whereas Dele Alli might take up the advanced midfield position. The English international is expected to have Erik Lamela and Gareth Bale on either side, fulfilling the left-wing and right-wing roles respectively.
A recent report from Football.London suggests that Son-Heung Min, who picked up an unfortunate hamstring injury in the 19th minute of the North London derby, could be back after the international break.
Moussa Sissoko will have to settle for a place on the bench but might be called into action in the second half if needed.
Attack
Harry Kane will once again spearhead the attack for the visitors. The English striker has been in blistering form this season, carrying most of his team’s creative and goal-scoring burdens. Nonetheless, he will have to make the most of his chances against the Zagreb defence that has kept five clean sheets in their last six matches across all competitions.
Jose Mourinho might decide to bring on Carlos Vinicius in the second forty-five minutes of the contest.
