Striker-Harry Kane
You can practically feel the childlike excitement that Kane will feel in advance of this match. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to learn he suffers through a sleepless night before taking on Real Madrid.
While I already believe Kane is clearly a world-class striker, putting together a top-notch performance against Zidane’s squad would end all doubt. Somewhere, deep inside Kane’s psyche, that has to be a factor.
The key for him in this match will be to play within himself. He doesn’t need to fire shots from all over the pitch. Possession will be important for Spurs. Kane’s hold-up play will be almost as important as his finishing in this match.
Keeper-Hugo Lloris
In case anyone forgot how important Lloris can be to Tottenham, the French captain made a terrific save in the first half against Bournemouth that allowed Spurs to maintain a clean sheet. He may need to do more on Tuesday.
Specifically, Lloris must avoid any glaring mental mistakes in this epic showdown. If he does that, his quality shot-stopping ability should shine through. Spurs will hope they don’t need Lloris too often, but he may be called upon for a number of world-class saves to keep Tottenham in this match.
Bench-Fernando Llorente, Son Heung-Min and Kieran Trippier
It’s difficult to predict which three substitute’s might be utilized in this match. Much of it will depend on exactly how the game goes. If Real Madrid jump on Tottenham early, Pochettino may remove some stars from the pitch to save their legs. If Tottenham are in contention late, he may extend his starters to play big minutes.
In the end, I’m expecting Tottenham to be in need of a goal late in this match. That explains the inclusion of both Llorente and Son. Each is an attacking player with the ability to find the back of the net. Spurs could easily be chasing a goal late in the fixture.
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The inclusion of Trippier is simply based on my concern over Aurier’s ability to last 90 minutes against Real Madrid. I suspect he’ll pick up a yellow card during the match and Pochettino will bring Trippier on to avoid the Ivory Coast defending from earning a red. Hopefully, Tottenham’s bench won’t be a talking point in this match.