The Central Defense and Keeper
To be very honest, I’d like to be wrong about my prediction here. I believe Pochettino needs to provide Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld some rest in advance of Tuesday’s match. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s going to give either man a rest on Saturday.
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I can understand his hesitancy to do so if he starts two backups at the fullback positions. It’s also a reasonable play if Pochettino elects to utilize a 4-1-4-1 formation. Playing either Kevin Wimmer or Cameron Carter-Vickers with only one defensive midfielder to shield them would be a significant gamble.
Count on Poch playing it safe and starting his usual centre back pairing. I can hardly blame him given their consistently excellent play. It would be a hard choice to sacrifice that sort of stability in the back four.
The keeper selection makes itself whenever Hugo Lloris is fit. Tottenham won’t worry about resting him in advance of Tuesday’s match. He’s just a keeper, after all.