Tottenham Hotspur and Atletico Madrid will lock horns in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash at the Wanda Metropolitano in a few hours.
Igor Tudor is winless since replacing Thomas Frank at the helm, with each of his first three games coming in the Premier League so far.
Europe could prove to be a welcome distraction for Tottenham, with their Premier League form taking them closer to the relegation zone than they’d have liked.
Tudor has a thin squad with just 13-14 senior fit players at his disposal, so he wasn’t expected to make too many changes to the starting XI that faced Crystal Palace.
However, it appears as if he has made a bold move to drop Guglielmo Vicario from the team, with Antonin Kinsky set to start in his place.
Vicario dropped for Kinsky
Vicario has been linked with Juventus and Inter Milan as he continues to endure an underwhelming season between the sticks for Tottenham.
While he enjoyed a fantastic first season and also played a big role last time out in their UEFA Europa League triumph, his third season at the club has appeared to show his true colours.
Vicario has failed to instill the Tottenham backline with confidence when it comes to distribution and gathering set-pieces, which led to claims that he could be dropped for the game against Palace.
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He eventually kept his place, but according to a report from Matt Law of The Telegraph, he is set to be dropped at the Wanda Metropolitano, with Kinsky set to start in his place.
The Czech international hasn’t played a competitive game for Tottenham this year, last featuring in the Carabao Cup win against Doncaster Rovers.
Fans thrilled with Tottenham team news
Although the official line-up is yet to be confirmed, Tottenham fans took to X to share what they thought about Tudor’s decision to drop Vicario.
@JosephDarb83861 wrote, “He needs to do well,” while Spursrevealed added, “We are here for it.”
The same user also went on to say he ‘prayed for times like this,’ adding that Kinsky should retain his place for Tottenham’s upcoming Premier League clash against Liverpool on Sunday.
And finally, @00xD15EA5E made a rather cynical claim that while he’s happy Vicario isn’t playing, Kinsky isn’t too much of an upgrade.
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He wrote, “Kinsky being given the nod makes me lol because Vicario is by no means any good, but Kinsky surely isn’t better.”
In the grand scheme of things, though, Tottenham fans believe Tudor’s decision to drop Vicario is a positive one as the enigmatic goalkeeper has been well below par in recent weeks, while Kinsky, during his limited opportunities, has actually shown signs of promise.
