Tottenham Hotspur will once again look to bounce back in the Premier League as they take on West Brom on Sunday. How will manager Jose Mourinho react to the defeat against Chelsea?
Things are not looking good for Spurs as they have lost three straight league games. Losses to Liverpool, Brighton and Chelsea have put a dent in their season, but they have a good chance to respond here against a team that is in the relegation zone.
The big injury news is that the North Londoners will still be without Harry Kane, but the silver lining is that he has now returned to training. Spurs will also have three players missing out of this match in Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso and Reguilon.
It is likely that Mourinho will tweak his formation a little to settle on the 4-2-3-1 that has worked well in the past. Hugo Lloris will continue in goal and there will be only one change in defence.
Eric Dier did not have a good game against Chelsea, as his error led to the winning penalty. He will be dropped and Davinson Sanchez will come in to partner Toby Alderweireld. As for the full backs, it will once again be Serge Aurier and Ben Davies.
In central midfield, the duo of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko will take their places. This pair will look to set the tempo of the game and also provide cover for the full backs when they join in the attack. Both the midfielders are capable of creating an impact on both ends and that should give Spurs a platform to win.
Ahead of them, we will see some structural changes. Heung-min Son will move to the wings where he is more effective. One change we can expect to see here is Erik Lamela coming in for Steven Bergwijn. The Argentine was impressive against Chelsea and will look to make more of a contribution on Sunday. Tanguy Ndombele will lead the team from a central attacking role.
Given that Kane won’t be playing, Tottenham will have Carlos Vinicius leading their attack. The striker had a great chance to score on Thursday but failed to take it. He will want to make amends this time and given the support around him, he will get more chances. Spurs must not take their opponents lightly, but they should be getting all three points from this match.
Predicted Tottenham Starting XI vs West Brom (4-2-3-1):
Hugo Lloris, Serge Aurier, Toby Alderweireld, Davinson Sanchez, Ben Davies, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Moussa Sissoko, Erik Lamela, Tanguy Ndombele, Heung-min Son, Carlos Vinicius