Tottenham host Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday as they face the prospect of being eliminated from the UEFA Conference League. What is their team news looking like ahead of the game?
After the disappointment of losing the first leg against Pacos, the north Londoners did well to bounce back on Sunday. A 1-0 win over manager Nuno Espirito Santo’s former club Wolves should give them some added confidence here. We can expect to see a very changed team here, given the importance of the midweek match.
Tottenham vs Pacos de Ferreira FYIs
Kick-off time: 8PM GMT, 26 August Thursday
Tottenham Starting XI Prediction: Go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Tottenham (DWWLW) Pacos de Ferreira (WWLWL)
Harry Kane should be back in the starting eleven after coming off the bench against Wolves. (On Wednesday, Kane took to Twitter to announce that he’s committed his future, or at least this season, to Spurs) Tottenham Tanguy Ndombele’s future is unclear after reports emerged that the midfielder had submitted a transfer request. Therefore, he won’t be part of the squad.
Spurs have one major injury worry with Cameron Carter-Vickers out, after getting hurt last week. One player who should be back in the squad is centre-back Cristian Romero who is said to only being suffering from fatigue. The hosts have no suspension issues to deal with.
In the Premier League, Nuno has passed two tough tests so far and collected two wins. But this game on Thursday is an early test of his capability and the manager could be under immense pressure should Spurs get eliminated.
This game will see the Portuguese look towards some of his senior players to come in and steady the ship. Last week, the north Londoners suffered due to the inexperience of their youthful squad.
If they can change that this time around, Spurs will in prime position to win.
A lot of the focus will be on Harry Kane should he start the game. Tottenham have to win this match and if the England captain can show his usual sharpness, it will be tough for Pacos to stop him. Though Spurs are trailing in the tie, they have the required firepower to overturn the deficit.