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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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MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Stewart Downing of Middlesbrough takes the ball past Phillip Bardsley of Stoke City during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Stoke City at Riverside Stadium on August 13, 2016 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images)
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND – AUGUST 13: Stewart Downing of Middlesbrough takes the ball past Phillip Bardsley of Stoke City during the Premier League match between Middlesbrough and Stoke City at Riverside Stadium on August 13, 2016 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Stephen Pond/Getty Images) /

Victor Wanyama vs. Stewart Downing

Neither of these men are exactly headline grabbers for their squads, but they’ll be hugely important for Saturday’s match. Count on Wanyama and Downing facing off against one another repeatedly.

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Tottenham are expected to dominate the possession battle, which means Stewart Downing is going to have to really pitch in to his team’s defensive effort. Of course, he’ll also need to be ready to hit Spurs on the counter when the opportunities present themselves.

Wanyama just needs to do what he normally does. He isn’t going to magically become Messi moving forward, but he needs to make the back four’s job against Boro relatively boring. Anything he does moving forward for Tottenham is a bonus.

If either Downing or Wanyama can gain a tangible advantage over the other, they’ll put their team in an excellent situation. Tottenham have to like their advantage at this spot on the pitch.

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