Tottenham Hotspur will host Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, looking to bounce back to winning ways.
Tottenham Hotspur will be desperate to secure UEFA Champions League qualification this season, and they need to win games like the one against Brentford to finish in the top four. There is no doubt that they have the quality to grind out a positive result at home, but they will need to iron out their inconsistencies.
Spurs are coming into this game on the back of just one win from four league matches, and the home fans will be desperate for a positive result. Meanwhile, Brentford are coming into the game against Tottenham on the back of a defeat to Manchester City in their last league game.
The Bees did bounce back in the midweek against Leyton Orient in the League Cup, and it will be interesting to see if they can produce a strong performance here and pull off an upset away from home. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Richarlison is unavailable because of a knock here, while Wilson Odobert misses out with a thigh injury. Tottenham Hotspur are likely to shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation against Brentford, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal.
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will start as the full-backs, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Cristian Romero will start alongside Micky van de Ven at the heart of the defence.
Yves Bissouma is likely to start alongside Pape Matar Sarr in the midfield double pivot. The two players will look to protect the back four and break up opposition attacks. James Maddison should feature in the central attacking midfield role, and he will look to create chances for his side in the final third with his passing and vision.
Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min will start in the wide areas, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham against Brentford on Saturday.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Kulusevski, Maddison, Son; Solanke
Brentford
Brentford will be without Joshua Dasilva because of a knee injury, Gustavo Nunes because of a lower back injury, Mathias Jensen because of a calf injury, Rico Henry because of a knee injury, Aaron Hickey because of a thigh injury, Yoane Wissa because of an ankle injury and Igor Thiago because of a knee injury.
The away side will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Mark Flekken in goal. Mads Roerslev and Kristoffer Ajer will be deployed in the full-back areas. They will look to keep things compact defensively and help out during counter-attacking situations. Nathan Collins will start in the heart of the defence alongside Ethan Pinnock.
As for the midfield unit, Vitaly Janelt will start as the defensive midfielder alongside Christian Norgaard and Mikkel Damsgaard. Janelt and Norgaard will add defensive cover to the side, and Damsgard will add creativity and drive in the middle of the park. Kevin Schade will lead the line for Brentford here, with Bryan Mbeumo and Keane Lewis-Potter on either side of him.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Flekken; Roerslev, Collins, Pinnock, Ajer; Norgaard, Janelt, Damsgaard; Mbeumo, Schade, Lewis-Potter
Key Stats
- Tottenham have seen over 2.5 goals in their last 4 matches against Brentford in all competitions.
- There have been over 2.5 goals scored in five of Brentford’s last six games in the Premier League.
- Brentford have scored at least two goals in their last four matches against Tottenham in all competitions.
- Tottenham are unbeaten in five of their last six matches against Brentford.
Player to Watch
Son Heung-min
Tottenham will be desperate for a win here, and they need their star attacker to step up and produce a strong performance here. Summer signing Dominic Solanke is yet to adapt to his new surroundings, and he has not been at his best in recent weeks.
Son will need to take over the goalscoring duties, and he will need to help out creatively as well. The South Korean has been ever present for Tottenham and he is a world class player. He could cause all sorts of problems for Brentford here.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Brentford
Tottenham have been quite disappointing in the last couple of matches and they will be desperate to bounce back. Ange Postecoglou will demand a strong reaction from the players, and they have the personnel to grind out a positive result here.
Tottenham are undoubtedly the better team on paper, and they should be able to get the job done. This is likely to be a close contest, but a narrow home win is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win