Tottenham XI v Everton: Ange Postecoglou to axe Dejan Kulusevski
Tottenham will look to record back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time since mid-December when they travel to Goodison Park to take on Everton on Saturday 3 February.
Spurs returned to the Premier League’s top four with a 3-2 win against Brentford at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday 31 January.
They are currently ahead of fifth-placed Aston Villa on goals scored and will look to tighten their grip on UEFA Champions League qualification with three points on Merseyside.
Sean Dyche’s side have drawn each of their last three league matches 0-0 and are without a win in six in the Premier League.
Spurs won the reverse fixture 2-1 this season (23 December) and will be looking to do the double over the Toffees for the first time since the 2017/18 season.
If they are to have any chance of achieving that goal, Ange Postecoglou will need to get his team selection spot on, and the Australian will likely make some changes from the win over Brentford in midweek.
Guglielmo Vicario should start between the sticks for the visitors, although he did struggle against the Bees with the ball at his feet, as he completed just 65 per cent of his passes and only found a teammate with two of his 10 attempted long balls forward (Sofascore).
Destiny Udogie will expect to continue at left-back but just like his fellow countryman, he also struggled against Thomas Frank’s side. While he did get himself on the scoresheet to level the contest, he looked suspect defensively as he was dribbled past twice, won just 50 per cent of his ground duels and made a fatal error which led to a goal.
Pedro Porro should continue at right-back and will hope to provide more quality in the final third than he did against Brentford after failing to provide a single accurate cross into the box from eight attempts. Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will likely be the centre-back pairing, with the first-choice duo making a combined four tackles on Wednesday night, while the former completed 98 per cent of his passes.
In midfield is where Postecoglou is likely to make some changes. Pape Matar Sarr could return for Spurs after Senegal were eliminated from the African Cup of Nations. Rodrigo Bentancur struggled against Brentford before being taken off at half-time and after such a lengthy injury lay-off Postecoglou might look to rest the Uruguay international as Spurs get set to play their third match in eight days.
Sarr could therefore partner Oliver Skipp in midfield. Skipp was also replaced at half-time during the week, but he was arguably better on the night than Bentancur, as he completed 96 per cent of his passes and won four of his five ground duels, while he also made a last-man tackle.
James Maddison is likely to round off the midfield three after making his first start since November against Brentford. He lacked some match sharpness on his return to the starting lineup, but his performance still demonstrated his quality as he played three key passes and won nine of his 13 ground duels.
Dejan Kulusevski could be axed by Postecoglou after he completed just 78 per cent of his passes, failed to provide an accurate cross into the box from two attempts and was successful with just one of his three attempted dribbles against the Bees. Brennan Johnson came off the bench to score against Brentford and could be rewarded with a start on the right.
Richarlison is likely to be named up top as he looks to make it eight goals in eight in the Premier League against his former side, while Timo Werner will hope to be given the chance to build on his performance against Brentford in which he grabbed an assist, played three key passes and hit the woodwork with a shot of his own.
In other Tottenham news, a Spurs expert has criticised two first-team players for their performances against Brentford.
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