Tottenham XI v Nottingham Forest: Ange Postecoglou to reintroduce Giovani Lo Celso
Tottenham will look to make it back-to-back wins following their 4-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League when they travel to Nottingham Forest on Friday, 15 December.
Following a run of five games without a win, Spurs picked up their first three points in the Premier League since October with a convincing performance against Eddie Howe’s side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
They will now head to the East Midlands full of confidence as they prepare to face a Nottingham Forest side who are lacking in that department themselves after a run of five matches without a win.
Nonetheless, it was only last month Steve Cooper’s side were able to turn high-flying Aston Villa over at the City Ground and Ange Postecoglou will know that this is not a free pass by any means, and will therefore need to get his team selection spot on.
In goal, there is no doubt it will be Guglielmo Vicario starting between the sticks for the visitors. The Italian had a quiet afternoon against Newcastle, saving two of the Magpies’ three shots on target, while he could do very little about the third which found its way into the back of the net in the closing stages of the match (Sofascore).
On the flanks, Destiny Udogie and Pedro Porro will certainly be expected to get the nod, and the pair will be keen to continue their fine run of form after scintillating displays against Newcastle, with Udogie grabbing his first goal for the club while Porro registered a wonderful assist for Richarlison’s second strike of the afternoon.
Postecoglou is limited in central defence and will no doubt start with Cristian Romero and Ben Davies at the back, with the pair building a relatively strong partnership and unlucky not to keep a clean sheet in their most recent outing.
It is in the middle of the park where the Australian could look to make some changes.
Forest have been leaking goals in recent weeks, and Postecoglou would be wise to exploit this by naming a more creative midfield. Giovani Lo Celso was dropped for the Newcastle match but could be reintroduced after his fine run of form, which saw him grab goals against both Manchester City and Aston Villa.
That goalscoring threat could be exactly what Spurs need in a game such as this one where they will be expected to dominate the ball. Yves Bissouma would be the most likely to make way for Lo Celso after he recorded zero key passes against Newcastle, compared to Pape Matar Sarr who made two.
Bissouma was impressive defensively in the match, making eight tackles and winning ten ground duels, but on this occasion, Postecoglou might be keen for a more creative man to play behind his forward line, with Lo Celso’s cameo performance against Newcastle, throughout which he completed 92 per cent of his passes, suggesting he is ready to step up.
Dejan Kulusevski has come into his own in the number ten role and is likely to keep his place in that position after his five key passes against Newcastle.
The front three is unlikely to be changed. Richarlison will hope his two goals against Newcastle can act as a platform to build on over the coming weeks, while Son Heung-min impressed on the left, grabbing a goal and two assists in addition to his four key passes. Finally, Brennan Johnson will be keen to perform well against his former side after his promising performance last time out, throughout which he completed all four of the dribbles he attempted.
In other Tottenham news, the club must look to sign a 91 per cent midfield ace in January with his side ready to cash in.