Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Tuesday night just days after taking three points from Burnley.
This time it is Manchester City coming to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Spurs fans will get to see their side play a massive role in deciding this season’s champions.
Anything other than the full three points for Pep Guardiola’s side would see Tottenham’s north London rivals given the chance to decide their own fate on Sunday.
Ange Postecoglou‘s men have been far from their best in recent weeks and the injury issues have continued to hinder the squad.
On Monday, the Australian confirmed Richarlison‘s injury was going to keep him out for the final two games of the season.
And then there was another injury blow revealed by the Spurs boss with Yves Bissouma confirmed to have picked up a knee issue against Burnley.
It has been the story of Tottenham‘s season as Postecoglou’s options are once again stretched going into the final two games of the term.
Rodrigo Bentancur to return after Yves Bissouma injury blow
The Tottenham midfielder has caused Spurs with a real issue for the large majority of the campaign.
Whether it has been injuries or poor form, Postecoglou has really struggled to nail down a consistent three from the start.
Rodrigo Bentancur has often found himself being switched with Pape Matar Sarr in the starting XI this season.
Tuesday is likely going to see the pair start together with Bissouma now out for the game against Guardiola’s side.
After the game on Saturday, Postecoglou admitted he had been really impressed by the £75k-per-week Uruguayan after he came on for the final 15 minutes.
“Dane came on and worked really hard. I thought Rodri was really good when he came on as well. Radu did well so the subs made an impact,” said Postecoglou on Saturday.
It is probably a change that a lot of Spurs fans will actually welcome with the Mali midfielder far from at his best at the moment.
What has to be said is the game on Saturday could well have been the final time Bissouma may have played for the club with Spurs said to be open to selling him this summer.
Oliver Skipp to lose his spot at left-back
It may have surprised a few that Postecoglou actually went with Oliver Skipp at left-back on Saturday.
However, Postecoglou has praised Skipp a lot despite not playing him too frequently having hailed him as “outstanding“.
But he was susceptible for the Burnley goal having been caught by a through ball to the eventual goalscorer.
Although the expectations may have been low for Skipp playing in defence, perhaps Emerson Royal returns having been rested on the weekend.
The Brazilian’s future may be up for debate ahead of the summer, however, he has played against City on a number of occasions for Spurs across multiple different positions.
Here is a summary of Emerson’s centre-back display at the Eithad in December.
- 104 touches
- 92% pass accuracy
- 9 clearances
- 2 tackles
- 1 error leading to a shot
- 2/4 aerial duels won
Statistics via SofaScore.
Micky van de Ven may have impressed at left-back having scored the winning goal from that position, however, Postecoglou has shared his concerns over playing the Dutchman there from the start.
“I’ve been mindful with Micky that he’s had a couple of injuries and the demands of playing left-back are a lot different to playing centre-back,” he said after the Burnley win.
“I just have to be careful – what’s more important is what we’re trying to build here, and I was reluctant to put him out there for that reason alone. It’s been quite a disrupted season and playing full-back as opposed to playing centre-back is a lot different from a physical perspective.
Predicted Tottenham XI v Manchester City (4-3-3): Vicario, Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Emerson, Bentancur, Sarr, Maddison, Kulusevski, Son, Johnson**