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Tottenham travel to APOEL beset by injuries: Who starts for Spurs?

By Rucker Haringey

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with his Tottenham Hotspur team mates during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on September 23, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 23: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with his Tottenham Hotspur team mates during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on September 23, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with his Tottenham Hotspur team mates during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on September 23, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 23: Christian Eriksen of Tottenham Hotspur celebrates scoring his sides third goal with his Tottenham Hotspur team mates during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur at London Stadium on September 23, 2017 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) /

Tottenham face a must-win match at APOEL

It may seem odd to call Tottenham’s second Champions League match of the year a must-win considering they dispatched Dortmund in Match Day One. Nonetheless, the strength of Spurs’ group requires Mauricio Pochettino’s men to earn all three points from their trip to Cyprus against APOEL.

Remember, Tottenham still have two matches against Real Madrid to deal with in the Group stage. Earning even a single point from those two encounters would be a moderate success. That illustrates just how fine the margins are for Tottenham.

Of course, the club’s ever-growing injury/suspension list is further complicating this tricky trip. Both Dele Alli and Jan Vertonghen will miss out due to suspension. Danny Rose, Erik Lamela, Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele all are unavailable due to injury. The latest blow to Pochettino came with the news that Christian Eriksen won’t make the trip due to illness.

Add all of those misses up and it becomes quite an intriguing jigsaw puzzle for the Spurs gaffer to solve. Look for him to rely on youth and a bit of creative positioning to get his best 11 available players into the starting lineup. Read on to discover the unconventional lineup Tottenham will go with in Cyprus.

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