Tottenham will look to continue their excellent current form as they welcome fellow London club Crystal Palace to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Spurs will look for revenge after losing the reverse clash in South London earlier this season 3-0. Spurs’ home form under Antonio Conte has been nothing short of phenomenal.
They remain undefeated at home under the tutelage of the firebrand Italian. Their last league home game was one of the most entertaining matches in recent memory, against title contenders in Liverpool. After that fixture, they secured a semi-final appearance with a 2-1 victory in the Carabao Cup over East London club West Ham.
Tottenham vs Crystal Palace FYIs:
Kick-off time: 3 PM GMT, 26th December 2021
Spurs Team News: go here
Premier League Preview Podcast: go here
Form Guide (All Competitions): Tottenham (LWWDW) Crystal Palace (LLLWD)
With almost everyone available for selection, let’s dust off the old crystal ball to see who makes the starting xi for Spurs on Boxing Day.
Hugo Lloris will line up between the posts. Whilst the Frenchman isn’t in the ‘best in the world’ discussions anymore, he is still a top, top keeper. And miles better than second choice Pierluigi Gollini.
The three-man defense will see Eric Dier anchoring with Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies on either side of him. The three are developing a good understanding as a back 3 and, whilst not perfect, they are solid and reliable.
Serge Reguilon and Emerson Royal are likely to provide the width. Reguilon made his return to the starting lineup in the League Cup victory over West Ham and is almost certain to make his league return in this fixture. Despite Harry Winks being tremendous lately, I think Spurs will drop him in favor of Oliver Skipp and Pierre Emile Hojbjerg.
The Englishman and the Dane have a good understanding and bring outstanding balance to the team.
Son Heung-min and Lucas Moura will line up on either side of Harry Kane in a three-man attack. Kane is returning to form. This is a tremendous boon for Tottenham and can only be a positive going forward.
These sides match up well and I think this will be a thoroughly entertaining game for the neutral. I think Spurs’ pleasant form sees them take all three points in a tightly contested affair.