Tottenham Hotspur aim to continue their journey towards Champions League football with a victory away at Everton on Saturday lunchtime, knowing that fourth place is theirs to lose at this stage.
Ange Postecoglou’s side can move level on points with Arsenal if they win at Goodison Park, but the Gunners will then play later in the weekend, at home to Liverpool. There is a very quick turnaround for Spurs from their 3-2 win over Brentford on Wednesday night, so tiredness could be a factor when Postecoglou picks his starting eleven.
Circumstances at the Africa Cup of Nations mean that the Australian coach has a boost in midfield, while they seem to have avoided any fresh injuries after the Brentford game. It could be a very physical match against Sean Dyche’s side, though.
Here is the team that Postecoglou is expected to pick for Tottenham’s trip to Merseyside.
GK: Guglielmo Vicario – He got made to look a bit silly for Ivan Toney’s goal against Brentford, but you could see Vicario trying to alert Destiny Udogie to the danger. The Italian international is still having a great first season in England.
RB: Pedro Porro – Another player enjoying an excellent campaign, Porro will only benefit from good players getting back to full fitness and returning from international tournaments.
CB: Cristian Romero – His positioning and awareness were not the best for Neal Maupay’s goal on Wednesday, but that shouldn’t stop him from starting against Everton. He needs to be careful with Radu Dragusin sniffing for opportunities, though.
CB: Micky van de Ven – The defence still looks shaky overall but Van de Ven’s return is undoubtedly a good thing. He might not have too tough a day against Everton’s misfiring attack.
LB: Destiny Udogie – Endured a very odd game against Brentford. He scored, but also can be held responsible for both opposition goals. There isn’t a great deal of competition for his place and young players make mistakes.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr – Returning from the Africa Cup of Nations following Senegal’s elimination, Sarr will continue to be key for Tottenham and he should take Oliver Skipp’s place in the team.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – In the absence of Sarr and Yves Bissouma, Bentancur has really stepped up and could be hard to shift for Bissouma when he returns.
AM: James Maddison – He had a slight issue towards the end of the Brentford game in which he was one of the main characters, but it is not expected to keep him out of the Everton game.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski – Some feel that Brennan Johnson will start here given his good display off the bench against Brentford, but Postecoglou may stick with Kulusevski.
ST: Richarlison – In the absence of Son Heung-min, Richarlison got the important third goal against Brentford and will now try to score against his former team.
LW: Timo Werner – His display on Wednesday showed why he may have been a smart January signing, and he will get the chance to build on that here.
