Ange Postecoglou is likely to recall one key Tottenham Hotspur player to his starting XI for tonight’s trip to West Ham.
Tottenham will have the opportunity to move above Aston Villa into fourth place with a win at West Ham tonight.
The Villains face a difficult trip to Manchester City this evening but Spurs will have to get the job done at the London Stadium.
It’s a place where they have struggled to pick up all three points in recent years having failed to win at West Ham in their past three games in east London.
Ange Postecoglou made just one change to his side as Spurs beat Luton Town 2-1 on Saturday, with Timo Werner coming in for Brennan Johnson.
Micky van de Ven returned to the bench after missing Tottenham’s defeat at Fulham through injury.
Postecoglou opted to stick with Radu Dragusin alongside Cristian Romero on Saturday, with the Romanian putting in a solid display. But Van de Ven is expected to return to the starting lineup this evening.
Postecoglou likely to start Van de Ven at West Ham
The Evening Standard reports that Van de Ven is ‘likely’ to regain his place in Postecoglou’s side tonight.
That will come at the expense of Dragusin, who has enjoyed a short run in the side in the Dutchman’s absence.
Elsewhere, it’s noted that Johnson may have earned a start following his heroics off the bench against Luton.
Van de Ven’s return from injury could be key for Tottenham
Despite already missing 10 games through injury this term, Van de Ven has been an ‘unbelievable’ signing for Spurs.
The centre-back arrived from Wolfsburg over the summer and instantly struck up a brilliant partnership with Romero.
While Dragusin put in a decent display on Saturday, Tottenham lacked balance without a left-footed centre-back in the side.
It often led to the Romanian defender avoiding playing the ball forward as he seemed uncomfortable with playing out on his weaker foot.
But it isn’t just Van de Ven’s ball-playing abilities which benefit Spurs as the Dutchman’s recovery pace is key to Postecoglou’s style of football.
With Michail Antonio, Jarrod Bowen and Mohammed Kudus all likely to start for West Ham tonight, you’d imagine that Van de Ven’s pace will be key to Tottenham limiting their opportunities on the counter.
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