Bentancur returns, Solanke missing – Tottenham predicted XI v Arsenal
Tottenham are set to take on Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong on Thursday.
Spurs have travelled to Asia for the second year in a row as part of their pre-season preparations, where they will first face Arsenal at the Kai Tak Stadium (31 July).
It will be the first North London derby contested on foreign soil, and will present Thomas Frank’s squad with their first real test after facing three League One sides so far in pre-season.
Both Tottenham and Arsenal are contending with injuries, as Tottenham News predicts how the Lilywhites could line up.
Rodrigo Bentancur to return to the fold after his illness
Frank stated in a pre-match press conference ahead of the game (29 July) that Rodrigo Bentancur has recovered from his illness that saw him withdraw last minute from Spurs’ friendly against Wycombe last Saturday (26 July).
The Uruguayan is expected to start, and could be lined up alongside George Abbott, who recently signed a new contract with Tottenham and has impressed in the holding midfield role.
Pape Matar Sarr’s brace against Wycombe will likely see him resume his position as a hybrid attacking midfielder/second striker behind Mathys Tel, who Frank will look to develop into a more versatile forward.
Son Heung-min’s contractual agreements mean he is expected to feature in his favoured position on the left, while Mohammed Kudus should continue his integration at Spurs and line up as a right-forward.
While the result is ultimately less important than continuing to build up fitness, the optics of a heavy defeat would not do the former Brondby manager any good against Spurs’ bitter rivals.
Therefore, the defence is expected to have the least surprises, and could see the reunion of Micky Van de Ven and Cristian Romero at centre-back in front of Guglielmo Vicario.
Pedro Porro has arguably been Tottenham’s most consistent player so far in pre-season, and is likely to start at right-back, while Djed Spence is in pole position to replace the injured Destiny Udogie on the opposite flank.
Dominic Solanke to be rested after minor injury setback
Dominic Solanke picked up an injury that ruled him out for Tottenham’s back-to-back friendlies last Saturday, which was later described as a minor setback.
However, Frank is not looking to take any risks and is set to rest the 27-year-old, with the fixture on Thursday coming a little early for the striker.
The same applies to his international colleague James Maddison, who has also travelled with the squad but is not quite ready to feature.
Frank will hope that between Tel and Richarlison, Spurs will still offer a goal threat, but has already taken note of Solanke’s importance to the Lilywhites and is being extra cautious with the former Bournemouth man.
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