Tottenham XI v Bournemouth: Ange Postecoglou to axe Emerson Royal
Tottenham will look to bounce back from defeat when they host high-flying Bournemouth at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on New Year’s Eve.
Spurs’ three-match winning run came to an end on the south coast as they were beaten 4-2 by Brighton at the Amex Stadium on Thursday 28 December.
Ange Postecoglou will be keen to return to winning ways and end 2023 on a high when Bournemouth visit north London on Sunday, but the Australian and his players know that they will have their work cut out for them with the Cherries arriving in fine form.
Andoni Iraola’s side are unbeaten in their last seven league matches, winning six and drawing one, which includes victories over the likes of Newcastle United and Manchester United.
Dominic Solanke has been firing in the goals, with eight in his last seven, and Postecoglou will know that he needs to get his team selection spot on if his side stands any chance of claiming the three points.
Guglielmo Vicario is likely to be the man between the sticks looking to keep Solanke out after yet another fine performance against the Seagulls, despite conceding four goals. As per Sofascore, the Italy international made five saves, and it is hard to place any of the blame for the defeat on the 27-year-old, who was unable to do much about any of the four goals which were fired past him.
Pedro Porro didn’t have his finest game against Brighton, as he made an error that led to a shot and completed just 75 per cent of his passes, but will be expected to keep his place in the team alongside Destiny Udogie on the opposite flank, who performed slightly better than his teammate against Roberto De Zerbi’s side, as he played four key passes and was successful with three of his dribbles.
Ben Davies will be expected to keep his position on the left side of Postecoglou’s back-two but could have a new partner for the clash with Bournemouth. Emerson Royal was poor against Brighton, winning zero per cent of his aerial duels while being dribbled past twice, and could make way for Eric Dier.
While Dier would certainly not be Postecoglou’s first choice, his superior ability in the air compared with his Brazillian counterpart could prove useful against the threat of Solanke.
In midfield, Pape Matar Sarr should keep his place after a relatively assured display against Brighton, throughout which he completed 91 per cent of his passes and won all four of his ground duels, while Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is likely to start alongside the Senegal international once again.
Dejan Kulusevski is suspended for the visit of Bournemouth after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season last time out, and Postecoglou will likely turn to Giovani Lo Celso to replace the Swede in the number ten role, despite the Argentina international giving away a penalty after coming on at the Amex Stadium.
Son Heung-min will be expected to continue on the left despite a sloppy performance on the south coast, during which he won just three of his seven ground duels and was unsuccessful with both of his crosses into the box. Richarlison should start up top as he looks to get himself back among the goals after seeing two strikes ruled out for offside at Brighton, and Brennan Johnson will likely keep his place.
The Wales international wasn’t at his best against Brighton, as he provided just one accurate cross into the box and completed just 67 per cent of his passes. However, the options available at Postecoglou’s disposal right now, unfortunately, don’t leave the Australian with much room to rotate.
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