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Tottenham Hotspur Projected XI for Visit to Dinamo Zagreb

By Aaron Coe

LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur and Marin Leovac of Dinamo Zagreb in action during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 11, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 11: Erik Lamela of Tottenham Hotspur and Marin Leovac of Dinamo Zagreb in action during the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 First Leg match between Tottenham Hotspur and Dinamo Zagreb at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on March 11, 2021 in London, United Kingdom. Sporting stadiums around the UK remain under strict restrictions due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in games being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Sebastian Frej/MB Media/Getty Images) /
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Wolfsberg’s Austrian midfielder Kai Stratznig (L) vies with Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian midfielder Erik Lamela during the UEFA Europa League Last 32 Second Leg football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolfsberg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on February 24, 2021. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
Wolfsberg’s Austrian midfielder Kai Stratznig (L) vies with Tottenham Hotspur’s Argentinian midfielder Erik Lamela during the UEFA Europa League Last 32 Second Leg football match between Tottenham Hotspur and Wolfsberg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, on February 24, 2021. (Photo by Adrian DENNIS / AFP) (Photo by ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Tottenham Hotspur takes a two-goal lead with them to Croatia as the Lilywhites look to wrap up their Round-of-16 tie in the second leg at GNK Dinamo Zagreb. Tottenham knows some players are unavailable for this match and others at the weekend for the League. Further still other players, like Heung-Min Son or Giovani Lo Celso, may be unavailable for both midweek and the weekend. With nothing short of advancement an option here is the XI we think José Mourinho will use from the off.

Availability Impacting Tottenham

Based on some wreckless – although possibly intentional – action in the last match in London against Dinamo, do-it-all midfielder Pierre-Emile Højbjerg will be unavailable for Mourinho and his side. Although getting the yellow card when he did cost the Dane this second-leg match against Dinamo, it ensures he will not miss any future matches in the competition due simply to a yellow card.

This is seemingly a savvy move with Højbjerg assuming Tottenham advances and that the Dane can leverage the rest. Højbjerg played less than 20 minutes last week against Dinamo in the opener, yet had his worst game of the season against Arsenal on Sunday. Hopefully, in this instance, the rest does the Dane some good.

Besides Højbjerg, we know Joe Rodon is ineligible, which limits the overall rotation we can see in the middle of the backline. Additionally, it seems that Giovani Lo Celso is still not quite ready to play. At this point, unless he is 100% it would seem to be smartest to just bring the Argentine back after the upcoming international break.

Tottenham also has to consider there is Erik Lamela. Lamela played a major role Sunday against Arsenal. Having picked up his first red card as a member of Tottenham – getting two yellows in the second half – Lamela is ineligible for Aston Villa on the weekend. Given that Lamela’s circumstance is the exact opposite of Højbjerg’s, expect the Argentine to play from the off since he will then be off until after the international break.

Finally, Heung-Min Son would seem to likely be out having pulled his hamstring to some effect against Arsenal on the weekend. While there are some reports that the South Korean’s injury is not as bad as some may have feared, it would seem very strange to risk him in this match. Given the overall player pool here is our projected XI.