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Tottenham vs. Manchester United: probable starting lineup

By Gary Pearson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Wembley Stadium on January 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JANUARY 04: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur in action during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Wembley Stadium on January 4, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Tottenham still have some injury concerns ahead of Manchester United but can expect Christian Eriksen’s return to for the pivotal encounter. 

In a must win match against second place United, Pochettino will pull out all the stops to take three points on Wednesday evening in the capital. He’ll be without Danny Rose (knee), Harry Winks (ankle) and Serge Aurier (ankle), all of whom are closing in on first team returns. Toby Alderweireld should return to the bench.

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Christian Eriksen, who has been battling the flu for over a week now, is set to return, morale-boosting news for Spurs. His creativity and poise on the ball has been sorely missed, with Spurs scoring a single goal against Southampton and Newport devoid of the Dane.

Erik Lamela has all but recovered from his gluteus injury and is expected to take his usual position, sitting on that ailing bum on the bench.

Will Pochettino go with three or four at the back against a dangerous United offensive threat?

With Winks’ injury and Wanyama struggling to get back up to pace, I’m leaning on the Argentinian deploying a back four, plopping Eric Dier in midfield to protect his rearguard.

Tottenham - Football tactics and formations
Tottenham - Football tactics and formations /

I’m hoping Pochettino opts to start Mousa Dembele over his more defensive counterpart, Moussa Sissoko, particularly in a must win match at home. Dembele is immeasurably more enterprising on the ball, offering Tottenham a better chance to take a stronghold in possession.

Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Son Heung-Min salvaged a draw at Newport and will once again be instrumental in determining the outcome on Wednesday. Eriksen’s return will help Spurs settle into the match early.

Next: Tottenham vs. United: tale of the tape

United have kept four clean sheets on the bounce, placing the impetus squarely on Spurs’ front four, who are tasked with creating a breakthrough moment against one of the league’s most stubborn defensive units.