Tottenham Hotspur face Chelsea in the FA Cup semi final at Wembley stadium this weekend. Tottenham have had an excellent Premier League campaign this season and despite everything they are unlikely to chase Chelsea down for the title. It would perhaps be very disappointing for Tottenham to not win any trophy, so they should give it a real good go and make the Cup final.
A win against Chelsea in the FA cup semifinal could not only help them in their quest of a trophy but also dent Chelsea’s confidence in the Premier League. Chelsea have lost two of their last four games compared to the North Londoners who haven’t dropped a single point. It’s easy to presume who will be in more confident ahead of the game. Below is Tottenham’s predicted XI to face Chelsea.
Goalkeeper
Hugo Lloris will surely start between the sticks. It would be a surprise if Pochettino goes for Vorm in such an important game.
Defence
Despite Trippier doing so well in the games he has played in, Pochettino is likely to opt for Walker with Chelsea likely to deploy Hazard on the left wing.
In the heart of the defence, Tottenham are likely to go for the trio of Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen. The trio has been excellent for Spurs this season and each player has complemented the other really well.
Ben Davies will continue to deputise for the injured Rose who despite speeding up his recovery is not available for selection. Chelsea might want to trouble Tottenham from their right and this might prompt Conte to put Hazard on the right to exploit Davies’ weakness. Jan Vertonghen will have to see to it that Chelsea’s right wing-back doesn’t get enough space even if he gets past Davies.
Midfield
Wanyama is unlikely to be sacrificed for Son who has been brilliant in his recent games. The Kenyan has done really well for Spurs after recovering from an injury. Moussa Dembele will partner Wanyama in the midfield pivot.
Up ahead, the duo of attacking midfielders Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen will be deployed. Both of them have done really in terms of their goal-scoring output and their positional interchanges have caused a lot of difficulties for the opposition. Despite Son playing so well, Pochettino would want more defensive solidity and thus Son is unlikely to feature in the starting XI for Spurs.
Attack
Harry Kane will lead the attack for Tottenham. Kane has had a really good record against the Blues and will be yearning to get on the score-sheet for the Lilywhites.
