Tottenham travel to Arsenal again: Who will Pochettino start?
Mauricio Pochettino insists he’ll continue to rotate his squad this week, but how many changes can he afford to make when Tottenham head to Arsenal?
Tottenham fans who actually want to read about their football club have arrived at the right place. In this piece we’ll walk you through the 11 players most likely to start Wednesday’s match at Arsenal. We’ll leave all of the idle speculation about Mauricio Pochettino’s future to other so-called journalists.
If you feel like Spurs just played a North London Derby at Arsenal, you’re exactly right. Pochettino’s troops fell 4-2 to Unai Emery’s squad just two weeks ago at The Emirates. That clash was, of course, a Premier League fixture, while this is a League Cup encounter.
Pochettino wouldn’t commit to just how much he will, or will not rotate the squad on Wednesday in his pre-match press conference. It’s still safe to assume he’ll make a healthy number of changes to the squad that squeaked past Burnley on Saturday.
Without further delay, let’s jump right into our predicted XI.
Keeper-Paulo Gazzaniga
It may well be Lloris who gets the starting nod here, but the young Argentine deserves some match time. Starting him at Arsenal is a risk, but it will provide Tottenham with clear understanding of how ready Gazzaniga is to be a Premier League starter.
Left back-Ben Davies
The rotation at fullback will continue for the foreseeable future. Davies lacks the pace to keep up with Arsenal’s best attackers though. This represents a bit of a gamble by Pochettino.
Right back-Kyle Walker-Peters
Pochettino can’t wait to throw his young right back into another difficult environment. His error at Barcelona almost cost Spurs their Champions League lives, but he responded well to finish out his shift. He’ll need to do it again on Wednesday to keep his squad alive in this competition.
Centre back-Juan Foyth
Welcome back to the baby-faced Argentine. He may not be completely fit, but injuries to Jan Vertonghen and Eric Dier will press him into service.
Center back-Toby Alderweireld
There’s an outside shot Davinson Sanchez can get the nod here, but we think Pochettino will opt for a bit of stability. Alderweireld certainly gives his squad a load of that in the middle of the back four.