Tottenham return to Premier League action after being humiliated by Slovenian side NS Mura in the UEFA Conference League. The loss to the lowest-ranked side in European competition this season and a side sitting in fifth place in the Slovenian top tier has new manager Antonio Conte questioning the quality of the squad at his disposal.
The loss has potentially added two extra fixtures to the Spurs schedule as they face the prospect of a playoff to reach the knockout phase of the third-tier European competition.
With all that in mind, it will be a relief for them to return to Premier League action against the Burnley at Turf Moor. Historically Tottenham always scores against Sean Dyche’s me, having registered at least one goal in thirteen of their last fourteen matches against the Clarets.
They do pretty well defensively too having kept eight clean sheets against Burnley in the Premier League.
Burnley vs Tottenham FYIs:
Kick-off time: 2 PM GMT, 28 November Sunday
Tottenham Starting XI Prediction: go here
Premier League Preview Pod: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Burnley (DLWDD) Tottenham (LWDWL)
Now we have set the stage, let’s take a look at the team news for the capital city club heading into this match.
Argentine center-back Cristian Romero will definitely miss with the thigh injury that has kept him out recently. It was a worrying sign when Antonio Conte admitted that his injury was a ‘rather serious one’ and did not have an idea as to when he would return.
It is a massive blow for both club and player as Romero was just coming to grips with the Premier League and was a huge summer signing for Spurs.
His fellow Argentine Gio Lo Celso has a question mark over his availability also. He is yet to appear after returning from international duty with an undisclosed injury.
He is considered a less than 50/50 chance of playing in this fixture. It is a shame for the player, with a new manager in the fold he could have put his best foot forward after not being fancied as a starting XI player by former coach Nuno Espirito Santo.
Elsewhere there is also an injury to young forward option Dane Scarlett. He picked up an ankle complaint during the international break that has just passed and is not being considered for selection at this point.
If Tottenham does anything less than collect three points at the weekend, it will be panic stations. I think they have the quality to avoid that, but I am not fully convinced. I am picking them to win 2-0 with some trepidation.