Tottenham v Middlesbrough: 5 key matchups for Spurs

Top 5 Tottenham v Middlesbrough matchups

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 18: Dele Alli of Tottenham Hotspur shoots during the warm up during the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland at White Hart Lane on September 18, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /

Gaston Ramirez vs. Dele Alli

This is an ironic matchup to say the least. It pits one of Pochettino’s favorite midfielders against one of his least favorite players. The two men will duel against one another in the midfield on Saturday.

Candidly, I see this as a huge opportunity for Tottenham to control the match. Alli is clearly a superior player than Ramirez and he needs to dominate this matchup. He needs to torment Ramirez throughout the match.

However, if Alli nods off, Ramirez has the quality to hurt him going forward. There’s a reason he’s starting as Middlesbrough’s number ten. That reason is his attacking quality.

His defensive capabilities are laughable though. When Alli takes a run at him with the ball at his feet, Ramirez will resemble a turn style. Expect Alli to have a lot of joy on Saturday.

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