What a difference a year makes! After flirting with relegation the past two seasons, Tottenham Hotspur football club made a massive overhaul this summer. The Spurs spending spree was record-breaking, by their own standards, and you now have plenty of new faces in multiple places (apologies for the rhyming and alliteration). If our predicted lineup ultimately proves correct, then manager Roberto de Zerbi will be starting six guys on opening day who were not on the team in 2025.
Premier League Season Opener FYIs
Tottenham Hotspur at Brentford
Saturday, Aug. 22, 5:30pm GMT
Gtech Community Stadium, London, United Kingdom
Result Probabilities According to Google: Brentford FC Win 39% a Draw 26% Tottenham Hotspur Win 35%
Tottenham Hotspur Preview Material: Predicted XI Team News
And five of those six starters were not with the club at the end of last season. That said, De Zerbi will still be short on options in some key positions, due to injury. Yes, there are major selection problems here due to all the players who are out injured. So the more things the change, the more they stay the same.
Here is what we think De Zerbi will go with.
Tottenham Hotspur Predicted XI at Brentford
Antonin Kinsky; Archie Gray, Marcos Senesi, Jan Paul van Hecke, Andy Robertson; Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes; Mikey Moore, Conor Gallagher, Mathys Tel; Richarlison
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, Ratings and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes and the Washington Post.