Tottenham Hotspur will face Austrian side LASK in the opening group stage game of the Europa League on Thursday. Spurs head into the game after a disappointing result against West Ham United in the Premier League, where they conceded three goals in quick succession to drop points from a seemingly winning position.
The north London side will head into this game as the favourites as they are unbeaten in the last eight games, and their attack has run rampant in the Premier League and in the Europa League qualifiers.
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Eric Dier missed the last game due to injury and he might miss this game too. Mourinho said ahead of last weekend’s game that midfielder Giovani Lo Celso may be available in a week, so the Europa League tie could perhaps come too early for him.
Japhet Tanganga is expected to miss the game, while summer signing Joe Rodon was not registered on time, so he won’t be available.
Let’s take a look at the possible Tottenham side against LASK.
Predicted Tottenham Hotspur Lineup vs LASK
Goalkeeper
Joe Hart, who has been used in the cup competitions, should start ahead of Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham Hotspur lineup.
Defence
With Tanganga, Rodon and Dier unavailable, Mourinho may go with the same central defensive pairing of Toby Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez. Ben Davies could get the start ahead of Sergio Reguilon, while Matt Doherty could return to the Tottenham Hotspur lineup XI in place of Serge Aurier.
Midfield
Harry Winks, who was a second half substitute in the last Premier League game, could start in the middle of the park, playing alongside either Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg or Tanguy Ndombele. The latter could get the nod to give Hojbjerg a rest, who has already played a lot of football this season.
Dele Alli, who was not even in the squad for the game against West Ham United, could start in the No. 10 role for Spurs.
Attack
Mourinho may not want to throw Gareth Bale into the Tottenham Hotspur lineup as the Welshman’s fitness is still questionable. We could see Lucas Moura and Steven Bergwijn play on the wings, while summer signing Carlos Vinicius could get his first start for Spurs on Thursday.