Tottenham Hotspur suffered a disappointing defeat in the Premier League against West Ham United in their last match at White Hart Lane. Mauricio Pochettino would hope that the loss will not affect their Champions League campaign when they take on Ajax in the first leg of the semi-final.
Ajax have turned out to be the kingslayers this season so far and will look to keep their scintillating form going against the north London side. It is expected to be a hard-fought match between the two surprise packages of this season when Spurs take on the Dutch giants in their own backyard.
Team News
The biggest blow for Spurs will undoubtedly be the absence of their talisman Harry Kane. Other than the forward, Pochettino has some more concerns in the midfield and defence. Serge Aurier, Erik Lamela, Harry Winks and Moussa Sissoko are all expected to be on the sidelines with respective injury concerns.
Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris is set to start in the goal for the north London side. He has been an influential figure in the advent of his team in the Champions League this season and is expected to play another major role when they take on Ajax.
Defence
Pochettino is expected to go in with a three-man backline consisting of Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez. The trio have dealt well with the mightiest of oppositions this season and is expected to do well against the likes of David Neres and Dusan Tadic.
Midfield
Kieran Trippier would start as the right wingback while Danny Rose is expected to get the nod ahead of Ben Davies to put in a shift as the left wingback against Ajax.
In the absence of the midfield duo of Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks, Eric Dier is expected to start in the heart of the pitch right in front of the back three. Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli would start ahead of him in central midfield.
Attack
The Tottenham attack starring Son Heung-Min and Lucas Moura has not been able to make any significant progress in the last couple of matches in the Premier League.
However, in the absence of Harry Kane and players like Fernando Llorente and Vincent Janssen left to lead the line, the onus would once again be on the aforementioned duo to take the attack to the opposition when they come up against the Ajax defence featuring captain Mathias De Ligt.
Predicted Formation: 3-1-4-2
