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Top 5 Tottenham v Middlesbrough matchups

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham shakes the hand of manager Mauricio Pochettino during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images )
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham shakes the hand of manager Mauricio Pochettino during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images ) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham shakes the hand of manager Mauricio Pochettino during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images )
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 21: Vincent Janssen of Tottenham shakes the hand of manager Mauricio Pochettino during the EFL Cup Third Round match between Tottenham Hotspur and Gillingham at White Hart Lane on September 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Tottenham Hotspur FC/Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images ) /

The five most important matchups for Tottenham this weekend

Tottenham head to Middlesbrough this weekend in what could be a tricky fixture for Spurs. No matter how complicated it might be, the club must earn all three points from the contest.

If Spurs are going to be successful, it’s going to come down to a couple of key matchups. There are some pretty interesting battles that are going to shape up on both ends of the pitch. Don’t be fooled by Middlesbrough’s point total, they do have some serious talent on their squad.

Despite their quality, Tottenham still head into the match as prohibitive favorites. Mauricio Pochettino rested many of his starters midweek against Gillingham which should allow him to start a fresh starting XI on the weekend.

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t at least acknowledge Tottenham’s injury elephant in the room. This will be the club’s first Premier League match without star striker Harry Kane. Expect his absence to dominate the headlines leading up to the match. Don’t sleep on these five matchups though, they’re at least as important as Kane’s absence.

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