After succumbing to a 2-2 draw against Brentford, Tottenham will aim to return to winning ways in their upcoming contest against Aston Villa. But with injury problems and World Cup returns for Spurs at play, calling the predicted XI remains a challenge.
Cristian Romero, who was unavailable against Thomas Frank’s men is set to be available against Unai Emery’s side, as confirmed by Antonio Conte himself (via Football. London).
However, the question remains whether the recently-crowned World Cup winner starts after going all the way in Qatar.
Similarly, while Hugo Lloris was on the bench against Brentford, one wonders whether Fraser Forster keeps his place so that the Tottenham captain is handed more time to recover from the mental scar of tasting defeat in the World Cup final for France.
Rodrigo Bentancur could return from both injury and suspension against Villa, as the Lilywhites faithful hope their enigmatic midfielder starts from the off.
While Richarlison himself vowed to return to full fitness from his hamstring injury (via the Evening Standard), one remains skeptical about him being back in the fold.
With all these question marks in mind, here is our Tottenham predicted XI vs Aston Villa.
TOTTENHAM PREDICTED XI VS ASTON VILLA
Tottenham skipper Hugo Lloris is likely to reclaim his starting spot, as he would hoping to bounce back from the World Cup final defeat, starting by putting in a top display against Aston Villa.
Matt Doherty could keep his place in the side, considering his excellent displays in the friendlies for Spurs during the World Cup.
Antonio Conte is expected to start Cristian Romero in the crucial fixture instead of Japhet Tanganga, as the absence of his best defender cost him against Brentford as they conceded two cheap goals on Boxing Day.
Despite not having his finest outing against Brentford, Eric Dier is enjoying a stellar season and is unlikely to be dropped anytime soon.
With Clement Lenglet delivering the pinpoint cross for Harry Kane’s brilliant-headed goal and not getting as many minutes as expected this season, we expect him to retain his spot.
At left wing-back, Ivan Perisic, who was arguably Spurs’ biggest threat against Brentford is set to start.
Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg, who earned rave reviews from talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose after stepping up with the well-taken equalizer against the Bees remains one of the first names on the team sheet for Tottenham.
Yves Bissouma is also expected to keep his place, with Rodrigo Bentancur set to undergo an MRI to assess his injury, rendering him unavailable for the clash, as per Antonio Conte (via Football London’s Alasdair Gold).
Up front, we expect no changes as Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min remain one of the most frightening fronts threes in the Premier League.
All in all, we expect Antonio Conte to make two changes in our Tottenham predicted XI in their clash against Aston Villa.
Tottenham predicted XI vs Aston Villa: Lloris, Doherty, Romero, Dier, Lenglet, Perisic, Hojbjerg, Bissouma, Kulusevski, Kane, and Son.
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