Tottenham begin their FA Cup journey on Saturday when they host Portsmouth in the third round at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Antonio Conte’s men enter the contest on the back of a resounding 4-0 win over Crystal Palace in the Premier League, bouncing back from the 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa on New Year’s Day. The win at Crystal Palace saw them close the gap to fourth-placed Man United, who have played a game less than Spurs.
The Premier League can take a backseat at the weekend, as Conte’s side aims to get past Portsmouth and into the fourth round of the FA Cup.
Still beset by attacking injuries, Tottenham remain without Richarlison, Lucas Moura and Dejan Kulusevski. Rodrigo Bentancur is also nursing a groin problem, but Yves Bissouma has served his one-game suspension and will be available for selection against Portsmouth.
Goalkeeper
Fraser Forster is Spurs’ No.1 Hugo Lloris’ deputy and should be handed a chance to impress against Portsmouth.
Defence
Antonio Conte is likely to shuffle his squad in order to rest some of his key performers, as well as hand opportunities to fringe players to impress.
At the back, Japhet Tanganga may get the nod the start alongside Davinson Sanchez and Ben Davies. The trio will replace Cristian Romero, Eric Dier and Clement Lenglet in a new-look Spurs’ back three and hope to keep a clean sheet against a manager-less Portsmouth.
Midfield
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is likely to be granted a break, with Pape Matar Sarr, who impressed after coming off the bench at Crystal Palace, chosen to replace the Dane in midfield. Yves Bissouma’s availability after serving a one-game suspension is a big boost, and the Mali international should partner Matar Sarr in the centre of the pitch.
Djed Spence could enjoy his much-awaited first start in Spurs colours. The youngster starts at right wing-back, while Ryan Sessegnon replaces Ivan Perisic on the other flank. Spence and Sessegnon are expected to be given the license to bomb up and down on their flanks and create problems for the Portsmouth defence.
Attack
As Antonio Conte is down to barebones in the attacking unit, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min will not be afforded any rest and must start. The duo should have gained some confidence after scoring in the 4-0 win over Palace.
Bryan Gil justified his start against Palace and should hold his spot up top alongside Son and Kane. The Spurs’ front three have pace, power, movement and flair to cause all kinds of problems for the Portsmouth defenders at the weekend.
Harvey White, Emerson Royal, Ivan Perisic and Hojbjerg have to be content with spots on the bench as they wait for their opportunities to make a mark in the second half.
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