Tottenham Hotspur will commence their FA Cup campaign against struggling Burnley on Friday, with Ange Postecoglou's side in fine fettle after a recent revival in the Premier League.
Vincent Kompany's Burnley, by comparison, have been poor on their return to the top-flight and sit five points adrift of 17th-placed Everton after 20 matches, with just three wins all season.
Postecoglou will be eager to wade deep into this competition after falling at the first hurdle in the Carabao Cup; moreover, last year's eighth-place finish means Spurs sit this year out on the continental stage.
Heung-min Son, Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr will all be absent after heading off to the Asia Cup and African Cup of Nations, though several regular starters should retain their spot as Postecoglou looks to avoid a potential banana skin tomorrow night.
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With this in mind, it's predicted the hosts will make six changes from the team that defeated Bournemouth 3-1 in the league last time out.
1 GK – Fraser Forster
While Postecoglou could opt to hand first-choice shot-stopper Guglielmo Vicario his first appearance outside of the Premier League for Tottenham, the veteran Fraser Forster started during the Carabao Cup penalty defeat against Fulham back in August and should be placed between the sticks against the Clarets
2 RB – Emerson Royal
It's been a while since Emerson Royal the right-back played at right-back, but then Pedro Porro's imperious form and injuries across the backline have called for the Brazilian's versatility to patch over the absences.
Ebbing and flowing like a tide in the wind but recently showing signs of greater solidity, Emerson should return to his natural role on Friday evening to give the club's No. 1 down the right flank a well-deserved break.
3 CB – Eric Dier
Postecoglou was decidedly vague when questioned about Eric Dier's future at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and while the long-serving England international has been firmly on the fringe this season – starting only once all term – he will surely be given a start against Burnley.
Star centre-backs Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are both sidelined and with Emerson moving back out wide, Dier – who has played 364 times for Spurs – should be handed a start.
4 CB – Ashley Phillips
Ben Davies has played every minute of the past nine Premier League encounters amid Tottenham's injury crisis and should receive a rest against Burnley, meaning youngster Ashley Phillips could finally make his debut after signing from Blackburn Rovers for £3m.
Dubbed a "monster" by Spurs expert John Wenham, the 18-year-old is commanding and powerful and could convince his manager for a bigger role with a strong showing.
5 LB – Destiny Udogie
Destiny Udogie is potent and robust and has been a revelation at left-back this season, having risen to prominence on English soil after spending the 2022/23 season out on loan with Udinese after signing from the Serie A team the season before for £15m.
As per Sofascore, the £75k-per-week whiz has completed 87% of his passes, won 53% of his duels and averaged 2.5 tackles, 2.4 clearances and 6.4 ball recoveries this season.
6 DM – Oliver Skipp
Oliver Skipp, aged 23, has featured regularly for Tottenham this season but has never quite established himself as a key figure, starting just twice in the Premier League.
The Englishman has completed an average of 88% of his passes over the past year and will be expected to keep it tidy in the centre of the park tomorrow.
7 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
2023 was not a good year for Rodrigo Bentancur, who ruptured his ACL against Leicester City last February and was out until October.
Returning off the bench three times, the Uruguayan was the victim of a lunging challenge from Matty Cash as Spurs lost to Aston Villa, throwing him back into the medical room for the next six fixtures.
Passing
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Tackling
Interceptions
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However, he started against Bournemouth in a display of promise, and will now need to start building his fitness and form.
8 CM – Giovani Lo Celso
Having spent the past campaign-and-a-half on loan with Villarreal, Giovani Lo Celso was welcomed back to the fold last summer and has proved his value with some important performances over the past several months as James Maddison recovers from an ankle injury.
As per FBref, the Argentina international ranks among the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, pass completion, passes attempted and progressive passes and the top 8% for shot-creating actions per 90.
9 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski missed his first league match of the season against Bournemouth after picking up a one-match suspension, but he should return to give the Lilywhites energy and creativity in abundance.
Highlighting his best attributes, Sky Sports' Jamie Weir recently said: "Dejan Kulusevski really is a special special player. Works so hard, covers every blade of grass. Hell of an engine on him, and just so much heart."
10 LW – Bryan Gil
With Son now out on international duty for the forthcoming month or so, one might assume that Brennan Johnson would get the job against Kompany's team, but Bryan Gil should receive only his third start of the campaign.
The 22-year-old winger was once said to be "like Bernardo Silva" by erstwhile Spurs manager Antonio Conte because of his technical quality, and while it hasn't happened on English shores, perhaps all that is needed is a star showing to turn the tide.
