Tottenham Hotspur takes on Leeds United in the Premier League on Saturday and they will be looking to bounce back from their defeat against Liverpool last time out.
Antonio Conte’s men were beaten 2-1 at home in their last league game and they will be desperate to get back to winning ways. Furthermore, they lost to Nottingham Forest in the League Cup during the midweek as well.
Spurs are fourth in the Premier League table and they cannot afford to slip up if they want to secure Champions League qualification. These are matches they need to win at home in order to stay ahead of their top four rivals.
Meanwhile, Leeds pulled off a stunning upset at Anfield and they will be hoping for more of the same here. Jesse Marsch’s side showed outstanding character and spirit against Liverpool and they have the quality to pull off a positive result here.
It will be interesting to see who comes out on top here.
🎙 “We want to finish in the best possible way”
Antonio Conte spoke to the media ahead of tomorrow's game against Leeds United ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/DBt9b6Hk6I
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) November 11, 2022
Team News and Tactics
Tottenham
The home side will be without the services of star defender Cristian Romero and forward Son Heung-Min.
Conte is likely to persist with his 3-4-2-1 setup. Captain Hugo Lloris will start in goal despite his dodgy form this season.
In the back three, Eric Dier will partner summer signing Clement Lenglet and left-back Ben Davies. Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon will be deployed as the wing backs and both players will be expected to contribute offensively, especially if Leeds decides to sit back and frustrate the opposition.
In the central midfield, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur have been undroppable.
Dejan Kulusevski returned to action against Liverpool and he is set to start here along with Ivan Perisic as the attacking midfielders who will drift into the central positions as well as in the wide areas.
Harry Kane is set to lead the line for the hosts.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Lloris; Dier, Lenglet, Davies; Royal, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Perisic; Kane
Leeds
The visitors are without Adam Forshaw, Luis Sinisterra and Stuart Dallas due to injuries. The likes of Patrick Bamford and Mateusz Klich are major doubts as well.
Joe Gelhardt picked up a knock in the League Cup defeat and he is set to miss out as well.
Marsch is likely to set up his side in a 4-2-3-1 and the midfielders will look to sit deep and hit the home side on the break.
Illan Meslier will start in goal and he will hope to replicate his impressive performance against Liverpool.
Rasmus Kristensen and Pascal Struijk will start as the full-backs and they will be asked to defend deep and deal with the threat from the Spurs attacking midfielders and the wing-backs.
Robin Koch will partner Liam Cooper at the heart of Leeds’ defence.
Tyler Adams will partner Marc Roca in the midfield pivot and they will look to disrupt the Tottenham buildup and shield the back four.
Jack Harrison and Crysencio Summerville will start. In the wide areas with Brenden Aaronson starting in the number ten role. Rodrigo will start upfront.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Meslier; Kristensen, Koch, Cooper, Struijk; Adams, Roca; Harrison, Aaronson, Summerville; Rodrigo
Key Stats
- Tottenham have scored at least 2 goals in their last 6 home matches against Leeds in all competitions.
- Tottenham have won 5 of their last 6 home matches against Leeds in all competitions.
- Tottenham have conceded at least 2 goals in their last 4 matches (Premier League).
- Leeds have scored at least 2 goals in their last 3 matches (Premier League).
- Tottenham have failed to win four of their last six matches in all competitions.
Player to watch out for
Harry Kane
Leeds were quite vulnerable at the back against Liverpool and they have not been at their best defensively. The Reds lacked the clinical edge to punish them. That won’t be the case against Spurs, who have one of the best finishers in world football.
Harry Kane has been in good form this season and he will look to add to his tally here and punish a feeble Leeds back four.
Prediction
Tottenham 3-1 Leeds
Leeds will be buoyant after the win at Anfield but they are still the underdogs here. Spurs are a much better side who have a lot of motivation after two back-to-back defeats in all competitions.
Conte will demand a strong performance here and his players are likely to step up and deliver. A home win seems certain.
