Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City are set to face off under the Wembley arch in Saturday’s late kick off in the Premier League.
Tottenham had been without a win in their previous two games at the national stadium, losing 2-1 to Chelsea and allowing Burnley to snatch a late equalizer for a 1-1 draw last time out.
However, Pochettino and his troops emerged 3-1 victors in a thrilling champions league clash against Dortmund in midweek, and this could mark the start of turning Wembley into their fortress.
They host a Swansea side that are on the back of a 1-0 defeat at home to Newcastle United, but Paul Clement could take heart from his team’s away results this season. And while their opponents will be looking to get close to the top of the table with a win, Swansea find themselves in the bottom half, struggling with consistency.
As spurs aim to thread some good performances at home, Swansea – like Burnley – will try and snatch a point out of the game.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Victor Wanyama, Danny Rose and Eric Lamela are still sidelined with injury, while Nkouduo’s inclusion in the squad is doubtful due to a foot injury. As far as suspensions are concerned, there are none for Tottenham. Jan Vertonghen did get sent off in their Champions league game against Dortmund, but his one match ban will apply to only UEFA competitions.
The 3-4-3 formation is working wonders for Mauricio Pochettino and he’s expected to field a very familiar looking Spurs side that is intent on winning the elusive Premier League title this season. Dele Alli is back from suspension, and the front three consisting Kane, Alli and Eriksen will pose a massive threat to Swansea’s back-line.
Probable Lineup (3-4-3): Lloris; Trippier, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Sanchez, Davies, Dembele, Dier, Alli, Eriksen, Kane.
Swansea City
From the injured pack, Ki, Dyer and Bartley are the ones who miss out while Britton is still doubtful.
Clement will deploy a 4-3-1-2 formation, with Abraham and Ayew expected to lead the attack for the Swans and Fer playing in the hole. Renato Sanchez made his debut last week against Newcastle, but the European Championship winner displayed a poor performance in front of the home fans, so his position might be under threat.
Mawson will face the difficult task of containing the in-form Harry Kane, while Sanches, Clucal and Caroll will also have their hands full in midfield.
Probable Lineup (4-3-1-2): Fabianski; Olsson, Naughton, Fernandez, Mawson; Fer, Clucas, Carroll, Sanches; Ayew, Abraham.
Key Stats
- Tottenham are yet to win a game at home in the Premier league while Swansea are yet to lose away from home this season.
- Swansea have never beaten Tottenham in the Premier League.
- Should Swansea keep a clean sheet on Saturday, it would be their best clean-sheet run away from home (four games).
- Christian Eriksen is just one goal behind Niklas Bendtner as the Danish top-scorer in the Premier League.
- Harry Kane has scored 80 goals in his last 120 Premier league games.
Player To Watch
Harry Kane
‘August is gone and September is here’, is what the Spurs fans will be singing as their star striker struck the back of the net 4 times in his previous 2 outings. Kane grabbed his 100th and 101st goals for Tottenham in the 3-0 win against Everton, and then went on to score another brace in the Champions League against Dortmund.
He’s not a player who possesses that one attribute others do not, but instead, he is a jack of all trades.
The 24-year is an 8/10 in almost everything he does apart from his finishing, for which he surely deserves a 9/10. It helps that he has the likes of Alli and Eriksen alongside him, and if those two can provide Kane with the chances that he is a master at putting away, Spurs are sure to be lingering around the top of the Premier league table.
Kane scored his 100 goals in 169 appearances and, at 24, he is furiously chasing Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney. Should he stay in the Premier league for the rest of his career (which is doubtful), it will be a question of ‘when’ and not ‘if’.
Prediction:
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Swansea City
While Spurs have started the season well, there is still potential for them to shift up a couple of gears. The Wembley jinx was finally broken with their 3-1 win against Dortmund, and Mauricio Pochettino being the canny operator that he is, will take tremendous confidence from that win.
However, Spurs will know that they need two or three consecutive wins under their belt before they begin to feel comfortable on the Wembley turf. While Swansea’s away form has been decent this season, Spurs are on fire and it’s difficult to imagine the Swans containing them. We’re going with a 3-1 win for the home side.
