Coming off of back-to-back last-minute wins, Tottenham Hotspur, will look to capitalize on some positive momentum against Chelsea, here are the starting XI that will do it.
The big question regarding the Tottenham Hotspur line-up following the late dramatics against Leicester is if the hero of that match, Steven Bergwijn, will start for or not. Of course, there is a touch of irony in that if Bergwijn starts following his magical moment, it would most likely be in place of Lucas Moura, who did not start following his evening in Amsterdam.
With the first real question being whether or not Bergwijn does start, we begin with Spurs forwards.
Tottenham forward projections
It seems almost harsh not to start Steven Bergwijn following his display against Leicester City. However, to do so means not starting Moura or going back to a 3-4-3 formation, which does not feel right against Chelsea.
Centre-forward – Harry Kane
Bergwijn was not the only Spurs player to have a strong match against the Foxes, Harry Kane was great for much of the night. Unlucky not to have three goals – before the half – it was Kane’s turn and pass forward to Bergwijn that gave the Dutchman the opportunity. Finally, heating up overall, Kane has four goals in his last five Premier League games after one in his first 13. We should expect that neither the goal nor assist will be his last this season.
Second-striker – Lucas Moura
While it may make sense from an emotional perspective to start Bergwijn, it may not physically. Those. almost 20 minutes for Spurs midweek were Bergwijn’s first in 2022, thus it makes sense for Lucas Moura to again start for Tottenham and Bergwijn to be available as a substitute for the last 30-minutes. Although the opposite could be a possibility, giving the Dutchman an hour, we think Moura stays in the starting 11.
Spurs projected midfield
While Kane and Bergwijn took all the headlines from the comeback against Leicester City, the Tottenham midfield performed well and Conte may have found something. A central threesome that was horrendous together under Nuno Espirito Santo, looks to fill a lot of Conte’s needs when following the right approach.
Left wing-back – Sergio Reguilon
Back in the starting XI against Leicester City, we can expect Spaniard Sergio Reguilon to again start against Chelsea, moving Ryan Sessegnon to the bench. Still adapting to playing the wing-back position, Reguilon has only one of his three assists from that role. Gives a good shift and will hopefully get the position figured out.
Central midfield – Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
One of the most unsung heroes of Spurs win versus the Foxes was Pierre Hojbjerg. In the last 3 minutes of the match along, Hojbjerg had a huge block in the box defensively and had the vital interception of an errant Youri Tielemans pass, which led to the game-winner. Hojbjerg has shown more versatility than advertised this season and did well in Conte’s box-to-box role.
Defensive midfield – Harry Winks
Back as part of the future of Tottenham Hotspur, Harry Winks has been doing what he does well for the last couple of weeks, which is to move the ball and stick his nose in on defence. Winks rotated well with Hojbjerg in particular as they took turns playing in the backline to allow either Japhet Tanganga or Ben Davies to push up the pitch. Spurs have been better with Winks on the pitch so he starts again.
Central midfield – Oliver Skipp
Continuing to grow right in front of our eyes, Oliver Skipp put in a heck of a shift against Leicester himself. Unlucky not to have an assist and clearly looking for that opportunity to score his first Spurs goal of the season and career. His willingness to defend in the attacking half with gusto along with Hojbjerg adds some real bit to Spurs midfield that was not there previously.
Right wing-back – Matt Doherty
This is another position where there is a big possibility of there being a change. While I do not believe Matt Doherty has passed Emerson Royal in Spurs pecking order, clearly the Brazilian was not right in the first half against Leicester and Conte confirmed that at his presser on Friday. With Chelsea as the last match before another international break, it makes little sense to push Royal, particularly after Doherty had one of his better outings as a Spur.
Spurs projected defence
Tottenham does have some good news on the injury front defensively. No Cristian Romero is not back, that will happen after the international break. Instead, Spurs get back their field general in Eric Dier who should be leading the back three.
Left-back – Ben Davies
Barring an unknown injury, we should expect to see Ben Davies starting once again at left-back. Davies may see some rest once Romero is back as well but until then, Ben Davies is the starter by default. That said, Davies has been a model of consistency since Spurs moved to a back three. Against a multi-faceted Chelsea attack, Spurs will need Davies to play well.
Centre-back – Eric Dier
Returning from an injury that has kept him out most of the month, Eric Dier should be back on Sunday and immediately starting again. We should expect to see a fresh, rather than rusty Dier as he has been training with the first team for almost a week already. Given Dier missed both legs of the Carabao Cup against Chelsea – both Spurs losses – Dier will be wanting to show he would have been the difference.
Right-back – Davinson Sanchez
Having cooled a bit from some truly impressive performances, Davinson Sanchez is starting to mature and develop as one would expect. Still struggling with headers – this time missing one he should have finished against Leicester on the offensive end – Sanchez has been playing with much-improved confidence, which makes all the difference in the world.
Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
Fresh off signing a new contract with the club keeping him at Spurs until 2024, Lloris will be looking to start paying back that new contract immediately with a big performance against Chelsea. Lloris conceded two in the first leg of the cup semi-final and then did not play in the second leg so he will want to vanquish some of those negative thoughts. Tottenham will probably need three big saves to beat Chelsea, the Frenchman should have those in him.
Full Tottenham XI and Substitutes
We have Tottenham back in a 3-5-2 formation as it provides more control in the midfield. Without Heung-min Son it makes sense to push the extra number into the midfield particularly against a team like Chelsea which likes to flood the centre of the pitch.
Tottenham Bench
With Dier back in the XI, it means Japhet Tanganga is back to the substitutes bench and someone else that was available against Leicester will not be against Chelsea. The player most likely to be dropped is Dane Scarlett, although some ongoing transfer business may preclude a player or two from appearing.
Defensively Pierluigi Gollini, Tanganga, and Joe Rodon, are in the squad. Ryan Sessegnon is likely against in the team and Royal may be an emergency substitute. Dele Alli, Giovani Lo Celso, Bryan Gil, and of course Bergwijn round out Conte’s options off the bench.
Tottenham Full XI
Lloris – Davies – Dier – Sanchez – Reguilon – Hojbjerg – Winks – Skipp – Doherty – Kane – Moura
Spurs substitutes
Gollini – Rodon – Tanganga – Dele – Bryan – Lo Celso – Sessegnon – Royal- Bergwijn
That is our team, who do you have in yours?