Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action as they face local rivals West Ham on Sunday. After their Europa League success, what changes might they be making to their team for this match?
Spurs had a great outing in Europe on Thursday as they won their first leg in the Round of 32 beating Wolfsberg 4-1. It will be a different kind of challenge when they take on the Hammers, who are on a great run of form at the moment.
Tottenham Hotspur at West Ham United FYIs
Kick off: Sunday Feb 21, 2pm GMT, London Stadium
Starting XI Predictions: West Ham Tottenham
Odds: West Ham +160, Tottenham +170, Draw is +225.
PL Form Guide: West Ham WWWWL Tottenham LWLLL
PL Position: West Ham 5th, 42 points Tottenham 9th, 36 points
There were a lot of positives to take for the North Londoners on Thursday as they put on a commanding performance. The performance of players such as Gareth Bale would have made Jose Mourinho happy and that may play a part in the team selection.
Mourinho will have his men line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation and there will not be any changes made to the defence. Hugo Lloris will start in goal and Matt Doherty along with Ben Davies will play as the full backs.
In the centre of defence, it will be the usual duo of Eric Dier and Toby Alderweireld starting. The defensive solidity was a big reason why Spurs were able to win during the week. In the centre of midfield there will be one change, as Harry Winks drops to the bench and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg comes in for him. It will be Moussa Sissoko partnering the Dane which has worked well for the team this season.
Despite his heroics during the week, Bale will be on the bench for this match so as to keep him fresh for the upcoming games. Heung-min Son will be back on the left wing after starting against Wolfsberg as the striker. Tanguy Ndombele and Erik Lamela will form the rest of this trio.
If these three are given the ball regularly, they can really hurt West Ham United in this one.
Up front for Tottenham will be Harry Kane who has been their glue in attack. A player of his quality will improve the chances of Spurs getting the three points. It is important for them to start winning as many games as possible so that they can fight for the Champions League spots.
Predicted Tottenham Starting XI Against West Ham (4-2-3-1):
Hugo Lloris, Matt Doherty, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Moussa Sissoko, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Erik Lamela, Tanguy Ndombele, Heung-min Son, Harry Kane