It’s Tottenham vs Everton in the Premier League this weekend. Frank Lampard’s side will travel to London, desperate to secure three points and move them away from a potential relegation battle. Antonio Conte’s men will hope to use their home-ground advantage to steady the ship and keep them in the conversation for a top-four finish with a victory. Someone is going to leave disappointed.
An interesting subplot in this fixture will be Dele Alli’s return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The former England international has had one of the more dramatic falls from grace in recent history.
From being undroppable as part of Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham side that made the Champions League final to persona non grata under the Mourinho, Santo and Conte regimes that followed – Alli now finds himself a part of Frank Lampard’s Everton side.
It will be interesting to see what kind of reception the 25-year-old receives from the home fans. That’s if he makes the Everton squad this week at all.
Tottenham vs Everton FYIs
When is it? Monday, 7 March 2022 8 PM
Where is it? Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Who’s in form? Tottenham (LWLWL) Everton (LWLLW)
What are the odds? Tottenham (-170) Everton (+475) Draw (+320)
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Here is how I see Antonio Conte lining his squad up against the Toffees on Monday night.
Hugo Lloris as goalkeeper seems a straightforward decision. The French international is a legend and has served Tottenham so very well. I think he is maybe on the decline and we may see him moved on in the summer. Regardless of that, he starts against Everton.
The three-man defense will remain unchanged, with Eric Dier being flanked by Ben Davies on the left and Cristian Romero on the right. The wing-back situation is interesting.
I feel that Sergio Reguilon will start on the left here and Matt Doherty will start on the right.
It would not surprise, however, if Ryan Sessegnon starts on the left. Antonio Conte is clearly a huge fan of the young Englishman.
I expect we will see Rodrigo Bentancur return to the starting XI, immediately, after missing a couple of games with an ankle injury. Danish international Pierre Emile Hojbjerg will partner him.
Harry Kane is back to his best and will play through the middle of the attack with Son Heung-min playing to his left. On the right, I think Dejan Kulusevski starts, even though Lucas Moura is back fit and available for selection.
The Swede has moved ahead of the Brazilian in the pecking order in North London.
This is a curious fixture between two of the most unpredictable sides in the entire league. Given Spurs’ Yo-Yo form of late, coupled with the fact that they lost their last fixture, I am inclined to go with a Spurs victory that will heap the pressure on Frank Lampard at Everton.
3-1 Tottenham.
Stuart Kavanagh is an up-and-coming sports journalist from Melbourne, Australia. Along with being the owner of the sports and entertainment website thepyrrhic.com, he is also the co-host of the ‘After Extra Time’ podcast. Football mad, he is always down for debate and discussion at @stueyissickofit on Twitter.