Initial Observations
On Saturday at noon, Tottenham Hotspur will host Brentford in the north of the city for a Premier League matchup in an effort to maintain their chances of qualifying for Europe. While the visitors have lost three of their past four games on travel without responding, the hosts have prevailed in six of their most recent eight league home games. Last weekend, Tottenham’s dismal road record continued as they lost 2-1 to fellow European contenders Aston Villa, extending their league road losing streak to seven games.
For Villa to win the league double over a Spurs team that lacked “togetherness,” goals from Jack Ramsey and Douglas Luiz on either side of halftime proved to be insignificant despite Harry Kane’s successful spot kick in second-half stoppage time.
The North Londoners can only complete as high only sixth in the Premier League this season after fighting their way towards the top four last year, which seems like a tough assignment given that Brighton & Hove Albion now hold that place with one extra point and two games remaining. Due to Mason’s team being tied for seventh position with eighth-place Aston Villa in terms of effectiveness, Spurs may even completely miss out on playing in Europe. Also Read:Barcelona beats 10-man Osasuna with the help of Jordi Alba’s goal.
Tottenham’s noticeable decline in form has been mainly attributed to their defensive shortcomings, as they have only maintained one clean sheet in their previous 11 league games and have surrendered at least twice in six of those games. In the rematch, Spurs also conceded twice against Brentford, drawing 2-2.
Brentford defeated West Ham United 2-0 at home last weekend to earn their third league victory in their last four games, securing a top-10 position in the Premier League for the first time in their history. Bryan Mbeumo and Yoan Wissa both scored in the first quarter to help Brentford move up to eighth in the table, four spots and seven points ahead of last season with two games remaining. Thomas Frank’s team had little trouble adjusting without leading scorer Ivan Toney.
Brentford Team News
Although Christian Norgaard (Achilles), Pontus Jansson (hamstring), Keane Lewis-Potter (knee), and Thomas Strakosha (calf) continue to be sidelined by injuries, the Bees’ talisman Toney has been given an eight-month ban from any football activities for breaking FA betting regulations. Frank may decide to go with a back three, which would place Mathias Jorgensen or Kristoffer Ajer in the center-back position with Ben Mee and Ethan Pinnock, with Aaron Hickey and Rico Henry playing on the wings.
While Mbeumo and Wissa are anticipated to continue in attack without Toney, either Josh Dasilva or Frank Onyeka might be given the start in center-midfield alongside Mathias Jensen and Vitaly Janelt. Kevin Schade could be replaced if Frank decides to start an additional defender.
Tottenham Team News
Hugo Lloris (hip), Ryan Sessegnon (thigh), and Rodrigo Bentancur (knee) are all out for the remainder of the season for Tottenham, while Japhet Tanganga and Eric Dier are also questionable after missing the loss against Aston Villa due to injuries.
Emerson Royal, Cristian Romero, and Clement Lenglet may continue to play in the back three without Dier, although Ben Davies is another possibility if Ivan Perisic is called up to play left wing-back.
For the seventh game in a row since Mason’s hiring, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp are expected to start together in center-midfield, while the likes of Son Heung-min, Dejan Kulusevski, and Richarlison are expected to play behind leading scorer Kane, who scored together with Hojbjerg in behind top score Kane.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Forster; Romero, Dier, Lenglet; Porro, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Davies; Kulusevski, Son; Kane
Brentford possible starting lineup:
Raya; Zanka, Mee, Pinnock; Hickey, Onyeka, Jensen, Janelt, Henry; Mbeumo, Wissa
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