After a one-week hiatus, the Premier League returns to action this weekend. With 12 domestic matches left, Tottenham Hotspur is locked in a four way title race with Manchester City, Arsenal and Leicester City. Are Spurs the favorite? You can make that case to some extent. As we did here.
Of course, you can make a case for the other three clubs as well. Nevertheless, this is one Spurs need to get on Sunday. A home date with Swansea is one where they cannot afford any result other than taking all three points.
Some late breaking news is that Harry Kane will play in this one (more on that here).
Here’s our predicted Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for Sunday’s late afternoon match against the Swans.
Goalkeeper- Hugo Lloris
Lloris returned to action in midweek after missing two games.
Defense- Kyle Walker, Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer, Danny Rose
Right-back Walker was rested against Fiorentina and should return here. Likewise with Rose, who didn’t play midweek, but will likely start here.
Midfield- Eric Dier, Christian Eriksen, Ryan Mason, Erik Lamela, Dele Alli
Dier looks better in midfield than in the back and manager Mauricio Pochettino should start him in that role against Swansea. Alli is the breakout player of the year for Spurs, and with the exception of Leicester’s Jamie Vardy, he might be the Premier League who’s most pleasantly exceeded expectations.
Eriksen showed great form against Fiorentina and was transcendent at Manchester City. Look for Alli and Eriksen to be playmakers in this contest.
Attack- Nacer Chadli
Recovering from the broken nose might mean Kane stays on the bench and perhaps it’s the right thing to do as Tottenham isn’t facing the strongest opponent possible in this one. We’re guessing Kane will sub on later and maybe see like 20-30 minutes of action in this one.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication and Bold Global.
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