Tottenham will look to take their impressive Premier League form into the UEFA Conference League on Thursday. Looking to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Pacos de Ferreira, how will Nuno Espirito Santo choose his playing eleven?
Last week, the Portuguese manager decided to go with a youthful team and ended up paying the price. Pacos were too good for Spurs and now they come to London sitting in the driver’s seat. If the north Londoners do not improve in the second leg, they stand to lose out on their only source of European football for the season.
Tottenham vs Pacos de Ferreira FYIs
Kick-off time: 8PM GMT, 26 August Thursday
Tottenham Team News: Go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Tottenham (DWWLW) Pacos de Ferreira (WWLWL)
There can be a lot of changes expected for this game as some of the senior players should be back starting. Pierluigi Gollini will keep his place in goal as the Italian gave a good performance last week.
The full-backs will remain the same as Ryan Sessegnon in particular looked good on the left flank.
Partnering him on the opposite side will be Matt Doherty. In the centre of defence, Davinson Sanchez and Cristian Romero will start.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is expected to be back, and acting as the anchor of the team. Spurs were a bit lax in their defending and that cost them the game last time around.
The Dane will be partnered with Harry Winks, who should be getting another chance to prove himself.
Giovani Lo Celso will be given the chance to play a little further forward to support the striker. Nuno has been using the 4-2-3-1 as a formation that can morph into a 4-3-3 when defending. This allows the Argentine midfielder to help out in the attack and defence.
Bryan Gil was another player who did well last week and should start on the left-wing. To add to Spurs’ attacking threat, Lucas will be on the right-wing.
And there might finally be a chance for Harry Kane who has not started a game this season. (On Wednesday, Kane took to Twitter to announce that he’s committed his future, or at least this season, to Spurs) Tottenham will rely on the talent of their talisman to get the goals needed to overcome the first-leg deficit.
If Spurs play with a little more urgency, they should win this tie.
Predicted Tottenham Starting XI vs Pacos de Ferreira (4-2-3-1):
Pierluigi Gollini, Matt Doherty, Davinson Sanchez, Cristian Romero, Ryan Sessegnon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Harry Winks, Lucas, Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil, Harry Kane