At a glance:
- Tottenham will host Leeds United next
- Spurs are unbeaten in their last three games
- James Maddison could return
Tottenham Hotspur are set to host Leeds United at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Monday, May 11, in the Premier League.
Spurs have shown a resurgence under Roberto De Zerbi and are unbeaten in their last three games. They also won back-to-back league games for the first time since the opening two games of the season.
Hence, the north London side will hope to continue their momentum and earn a crucial home win on Monday.
They haven’t won at home in the Premier League since December 6, when they beat Brentford 2-0. With three games remaining in the relegation battle, they need to change that.
Tottenham could field a similar XI as they did against Aston Villa
Spurs are still going through an injury crisis, and hence, they don’t have much to choose from.
Moreover, after a good performance in a 2-1 win over Aston Villa last time out, De Zerbi can be expected to pick a similar XI. Let’s take a look at the predicted XI:
Goalkeeper: Antonin Kinsky
Guglielmo Vicario remains out as he reportedly hasn’t recovered after his hernia surgery. There is an argument for Antonín Kinský to keep his place in the starting XI even if the Italian returns.
The 23-year-old has been excellent in the last three games in every area of goalkeeping.
Defense: Pedro Porro, Kevin Danso, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie
Destiny Udogie’s return from injury was a huge boost last week for Tottenham, and they will hope he can build on his performance.
Kevin Danso has made some errors in recent games, but Kinsky and Micky van de Ven have been able to bail him out. He will look to iron it out against Leeds.
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Meanwhile, Porro was excellent against Aston Villa, and so was Van de Ven.
Midfielders: Joao Palhinha, Rodrigo Bentancur, Conor Gallagher
De Zerbi started Joao Palhinha instead of Yves Bissouma against Villa, and his decision was well and truly justified. The Portuguese midfielder put in his best performance in a Tottenham shirt and hence, will likely keep his place against Leeds.
Rodrigo Bentancur has been Spurs’ best player under the Italian, while Conor Gallagher is consistently improving as well.
De Zerbi also faces a big decision about giving James Maddison some minutes.
He has been in the squad for the last three games, but hasn’t featured. The Italian still raised doubts about his fitness in his press conferences, but Maddison could feature for a few minutes off the bench on Monday.
Attack: Mathys Tel, Richarlison, Randal Kolo Muani
This is one area where Tottenham have no other senior options available. De Zerbi said that Dominic Solanke could return against Chelsea, but against Leeds, he will have to do with these three.
It is arguably for the better as well. Richarlison is Spurs’ top scorer this season, while Mathys Tel has been really good whenever he’s received his opportunity.
Also Read: Tottenham News today: Vuskovic-Barcelona speculation, Richarlison could leave and injury updates
If West Ham lose against Arsenal on Sunday, a win against Leeds on Monday would more or less confirm Tottenham’s safety from relegation.
Hence, it is a crucial game, and Spurs must continue to work hard and get that rare home win.
