Tottenham Hotspur are set to clash with Swansea City in the Quarter Final stage of the FA Cup. The match is scheduled to take place on Saturday afternoon at the Liberty Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men bowed out of the UEFA Champions League with a 3-4 aggregate score against Juventus. It was finally Tottenham’s moment to answer their critics by winning the second leg of the tie at Wembley after impressively making a comeback in the first. However, just a short spell of concentration break saw the Old Lady score the equalizer and the lead as the North London side was left ruing their own efforts.
Tottenham have found a bit of light in the Premier League with the team replacing Chelsea in the top 4 and holding a comfortable 5 point lead over the Blues in the 3rd spot. They are on a 4-game winning streak in the league, and it is expected to carry over to this fixture against the motivated Swans.
Carlos Carvalhal has changed the face of the Swansea team right from his appointment. An instilled gritty mentality along with an attitude to fight in every single match has seen the South Wales side dig themselves out of the bottom-3 and hold a 4-point lead ahead of the relegation zone.
While their intentions might be to concentrate on the top-division survival, the FA Cup is Pochettino’s only way of earning any silverware this season. Here is how Tottenham might lineup on matchday.
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Defence
Michel Vorm is the ‘cup keeper’ and therefore should get the nod ahead of Hugo Lloris.
He will be shielded by the centre-half pairing of Juan Foyth and Toby Alderweireld.
Danny Rose is the rotational option who might feature in the left-back role with Serge Aurier on the right.
Midfield
Victor Wanyama is expected to get the start alongside Eric Dier in the holding midfield role. The Kenyan has returned from injury and his defensive role will turn out to be crucial against the Swans.
Erik Lamela and Dele Alli will have to take up the offensive duties with the former featuring from the right. Pochettino might also look for an injection of pace from the wide areas and Lucas Moura might get the nod. The Brazilian can feature on the left.
Attack
Fernando Llorente is the predicted starter in the number nine role with Harry Kane ruled out with an ankle injury.
