Tottenham Hotspur will hope to continue their unbeaten away run as they travel to face newly-promoted Huddersfield Town on Saturday.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side will travel to Huddersfield Town hoping to maintain their brilliant away record this season. With many of their players in top-notch form, this should be a good opportunity for the club to pick up the crucial three points.
Huddersfield Town, on the other hand, have fared pretty well so far in their first top-flight campaign in 46 years. They currently sit in the eighth spot, but will be aware of the uphill task they have on Saturday when they host Tottenham.
The newly-promoted outfit beat Crystal Palace and Newcastle while recording draws with Southampton, Leicester City and Burnley. They endured a 2-0 defeat against West Ham though but besides that, the club have been doing well so far.
Team News & Tactics
Huddersfield Town
Huddersfield will hope that striker Steve Mounie recovers from his heel injury ahead of this encounter. He had to miss their last couple of games but it could be very likely that he returns only after the international break to be fit enough to start.
Jon Stankovic, Kasey Palmer, Danny Williams and Collin Quaner continue to be sidelined due to various injuries and fitness issues.
Huddersfield will need to successfully break the channel between Alderweireld and Trippier to disrupt Spurs. Tom Ince and Laurent Depoitre will be crucial for that, while the defenders will have to watch out for Harry Kane. The home side’s back line has been very strong this season, so they will hope to restrict Kane as much as possible.
Predicted lineup (4-2-3-1): Lossl; Smith, Yoshida, Schindler, Lowe; Mooy, Hogg; Kachunga, La Parra, Ince; Depoitre.
Tottenham Hotspur
Christian Eriksen missed the Champions League win at Apoel Nicosia but he is believed to have returned to training. Dele Alli and Jan Vertonghen are also in contention for a start after sitting that game out due to suspension. Mousa Dembele’s fitness continues to be worrisome and is unlikely to return in time for this game.
Serge Aurier will have to serve a suspension while Erik Lamela, Danny Rose and Victor Wanyama remain absent.
Having fully adopted the 3-4-2-1 as their preferred system, Spurs are as defensively sound as ever. They play with a high line, but don’t often leave themselves exposed at the back, so Town will have to take their chances in this fixture if they want a positive result.
With both Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama – the first choice midfield partnership – missing, Dier is likely to be joined by Sissoko.
Predicted lineup (3-4-2-1): Lloris; Vertonghen, Sanchez, Alderweireld; Trippier, Dier, Sissoko, Davies; Alli, Eriksen, Kane.
Key Stats
- This is the first Premier League meeting between the two clubs.
- It will also mark their first match since a League Cup clash back in 1972, won by Spurs 2-1.
- Overall, the clubs had met 40 time and Spurs won 16 of these as against Huddersfield’s 11 with the remaining 13 ending in draws.
- The Terriers have kept four clean sheets in six league games. They are the first newly-promoted side to achieve this since Blackburn Rovers in 1992.
- Kane has also netted 20 goals in his last 16 league appearances against promoted teams.
Player To Watch
Harry Kane
The stage is set for Kane to grab the spotlight following a month wherein he’s been in a lot of headlines for his fiery form. Kane is once again likely to be the focal point of Spurs’ attack after being withdrawn from the game in Cyprus after 75 minutes.
This is also likely to be a game of attack versus defence in Tottenham’s favour for the vast majority of the 90 minutes. Although Huddersfield will look to mark him to ensure minimal damage, the striker currently has the capability to wreak havoc upon even the strongest of teams.
Prediction
Huddersfield Town 0 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur
Fresh after a 3-0 win over Apoel Nicosia in the Champions League, Tottenham will look to claim another three points. They will be subject to stern resistance from the Terriers but they are not strong enough to take anything away from Pochettino’s men – a team that has been strong in away matches.
Huddersfield will provide Spurs with tough opposition though. It will be a rather nervy affair that will test Tottenham’s ability to break down a resilient defence, but it does look like a test they should pass with flying colours.
