A somewhat depleted Tottenham Hotspur travels to Manchester to face the Red Devils on Wednesday in a massive midweek tilt at Old Trafford. How will Spurs line up?
Tottenham Hotspur continues their run of games before the World Cup with a trip north to Manchester to face United at Old Trafford. Both teams are battling injuries and availability as much as each other, as the battle of attrition before the big dance is quite real. For Spurs, the absences mean Conte’s first decision is how the club will line up.
3-4-3 or 3-5-2 for Tottenham Hotspur vs. Manchester United?
For Tottenham, the major absences are in the attack, where Richarlison is out, and Dejan Kulusevski is most likely unavailable. This lack of regular starting options in the attack does make it seem more likely that Conte would opt for a 3-5-2 formation. However, at his presser on Monday, the Italian gaffer stressed his preference for the 3-4-3, talking up Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil as possibilities to play in a front three.
Realistically against a team like United on the road, the 3-5-2, a more conservative approach, seems the more logical choice, and it is the formation we are choosing for our projected XI for the game.
Tottenham Forwards to Face the Red Devils
Barring a last-minute illness or injury, there is little intrigue over who starts up front for Tottenham, especially in a two-striker formation – Heung-min Son and Harry Kane.
Forward – Harry Kane
Our talisman has been in the goals this season, with nine League goals in 10 League games. This is a good sign because Kane has struggled against United historically, with only five goals and six wins in 17 career matches. The more positive news is that three of Kane’s five goals against United have come in the last two seasons, and Spurs will need goals Wednesday.
Forward Heung-min Son
Seemingly closer to top form, Sonny will need to be at his best in Manchester. Whereas Kane has struggled against United historically, Sonny has languished in his 15 career games against United. United is arguably Son’s toughest opponent, with only three goals and one assist. Wednesday, that history is likely to start to change.
Five-min Midfield to battle United
Given where Spurs have depth available, central midfield and wing-back, starting with a five-man midfield and only two strikers makes sense. Even more importantly, the performance against Everton went up considerably once Spurs shifted formation, and this could not have been lost on Conte and the staff.
Left-wing-back – Ryan Sessegnon
Ryan Sessegnon did not start against Everton after two straight starts for the team. Perisic was good on the attacking end on Saturday and did the job defensively. Against United, on the road, expect the defense to be the top priority and Sessegnon to get the initial nod.
Central midfield – Rodrigo Bentancur
The South American midfielder picked up what he likely considered a cheap first-half yellow against Everton, which stymied his defensive aggressiveness the rest of the match. However, when the game was still in the balance, Bentancur made the run around Kane down the line and then played the ball into his midfield mate for Spurs second to seal the victory.
Central midfield – Yves Bissouma
Playing his best stretch yet in Lilywhite at the weekend, Yves Bissouma looks like a player ready to grab some minutes. Bissouma adds, even more, steal to a hardened central midfield, and his range of passing and ability on the ball should help unlock more opportunities going forward.
Central midfield – Pierre Hojbjerg
Showing calm in front of the goal on Saturday, it was our Danish midfielder giving Spurs the second goal and some breathing room. Pierre Hojbjerg has continued to grow his game and is second on the team with three goals this campaign. An iron man since arriving three seasons ago, having an additional body to cover in the middle of the park will hopefully help Hojbjerg continue to last.
Right-wing-back – Matt Doherty
This is one position of decision for Conte on Wednesday, as his primary option – Emerson Royal – is still serving a three-match ban. After a good game on Saturday, it might make sense to give more minutes to Matt Doherty; however, coming off his knee surgery, a second match this closely after may be a risk. The next two options after Doherty would be Lucas Moura, who is recovering from injury, and Djed Spence, who we would like to see but seems to need more time.
Tottenham Defensive Set-up for United
We do not anticipate any changes in the Tottenham defense, as Conte sticks with his top line for this big Premier League contest.
Left-back – Ben Davies
Despite a couple of questionable fouls, Ben Davies looked strong against Everton. Davies was aggressive defensively and found times to move forward and add to the attack. Expect Davies to get a little run until the next European affair.
Center-back – Eric Dier
Like Son and Kane, Eric Dier is likely starting at center back, barring injury or illness. Dier has made a few mistakes in the last couple of weeks, but no one is perfect; on the whole, Dier has been better than worse. Regardless of who United plays up front, expect the Red Devils to try and get Dier out of position with off-the-ball movement, which good communication can help overcome.
Right-back – Cristian Romero
Slowly creeping back to his top form, Cristian Romero made some big, timely tackles against Everton. At his best, Romero can snuff out attacks before they happen, and it looks like he is getting close to that point again.
Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris
With back-to-back League shutouts, Hugo Lloris has been playing well. Admittedly the shutout against Brighton was more impressive than the one against Everton, where Lloris was not credited with a save. However, there were times when Lloris was called into action, and the Frenchman was ready. He should expect Wednesday to be more like Brighton or even Eintracht Frankfurt, where a few big saves helped win the day.
So there is the 3-5-2 we think Conte needs to use; who would you start to beat Manchester United at Old Trafford?