Tottenham Hotspur have had an inconsistent start to the season. Though they are tied on points with Arsenal, their better goal difference sees them narrowly claim the 4th position as of now. Out of the 7 matches, they have won 5 and lost 2 of those. While this record will not set off any alarm bells, the fact that they have not quite clicked on the pitch as a team yet will have Pochettino working overtime to iron out the flaws.
Hugo Lloris has been off-colour with issues both on and off the field. But Harry Kane’s return to form has been timely with Eriksen and Alli missing some crucial fixtures through injuries. Their Champions League campaign has been disappointing till now with two losses out of two with the thrilling 2-4 loss against Barcelona coming just two days back.
They will have to shift focus now onto the tie against Cardiff City at Wembley tomorrow. Given the Bluebirds’ abysmal start to the season and the overall quality of the Lilywhites, anything other than a routine home win is hard to comprehend. But Pochettino will not be thinking on those lines and with the injury crisis and the overall mood at the club, not the best, the three points cannot be taken for granted.
TEAM NEWS
Christian Eriksen, Jan Vertonghen, Dele Alli, Mousa Dembele and Serge Aurier will all be missing this tie with the club ruling them out of action till after the international break. Michel Vorm is back in training and we can expect to see him on the bench.
PREDICTED TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR LINEUP TO FACE CARDIFF CITY (4-2-3-1)
DEFENCE
Hugo Lloris will start in goal and the club captain will have to work hard to get his rhythm back with important fixtures coming up.
Kieran Trippier is likely to start on the right even though Kyle Walker-Peters provides another option. With Vertonghen ruled out, Poch is expected to switch to a back four. Toby Alderweireld will start with Davinson Sanchez partnering him. The latter had a torrid time against Barcelona and will hope for a quieter 90 minutes.
Ben Davies started against the Catalan side hence we expect Danny Rose to start as the left-back.
MIDFIELD
Harry Winks had a solid game in the midweek and is likely to start ahead of Victor Wanyama. Eric Dier will also hope to get a start in midfield and will look to dictate proceedings against a hapless Cardiff side.
ATTACK
With Eriksen and Alli out, the likes of Lamela will get to improve their combination play with Harry Kane. The English superstar will start up front and will look to extend his scoring run. Erik Lamela is expected to start in the no.10 position while Lucas Moura and Son Heung-min will take up their positions on the wings.
LLORIS
TRIPPIER-ALDERWEIRELD-SANCHEZ-ROSE
WINKS-DIER
MOURA-LAMELA-SON
KANE