Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte is searching for his first win since the international break and after a goalless draw in midweek, he’ll be hoping his side can go one better at Brighton and Hove Albion this evening.
The Lilywhites were held by Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, just a few days after their 3-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League last weekend.
It’s a short turnaround for the Italian and his squad, so rotation could be in order, whilst Emerson Royal is one of a few confirmed absentees after he received a careless red card in the north London derby.
Conte could finally switch to a 3-5-2 formation, as a result of their form and congested schedule.
That would see another midfielder enter the fray, likely to be £30m signing Yves Bissouma. The box-to-box powerhouse – who journalist Aaron Stokes once dubbed an “absolute monster” – joins Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the engine room but does mean that a forward needs to be dropped.
Given his struggles this season, Heung-min Son could be axed to the bench – just as he was against Leicester City – meaning it’s Harry Kane and Richarlison up front.
The 6-2 whitewash over the Foxes also provided a clue as to how Spurs could lineup without Emerson, so Ivan Perisic may switch to the right wing-back role, with Ryan Sessegnon coming in on the left.
Conte should also revert back to his usual three-man defence after Ben Davies returned from injury in midweek. The versatile Wales star is likely to start alongside Eric Dier and Cristian Romero, who are protecting club captain Hugo Lloris between the sticks, in what would be the third and final change from Tuesday.
The likes of Oliver Skipp, Davinson Sanchez and Bryan Gil may have to wait for further minutes and there are continued doubts over the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski, who has missed Tottenham’s last two fixtures.
Predicted Spurs XI (3-5-2): Lloris; Davies, Dier, Romero; Sessegnon, Bentancur, Bissouma, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Richarlison, Kane
AND in other news, Spurs could end creative crisis with 22 y/o “superstar”, he’s 82% cheaper than Maddison…
