Tottenham projected XI at Leicester City: Lucas returns for Spurs

Mauricio Pochettino will be looking for a strong response from his club on Saturday. Here are the 11 Spurs who should start at Leicester City for Tottenham.

Tottenham face a very dangerous fixture on Saturday when they travel to Leicester City. Mauricio Pochettino’s club needs to bounce back from a lackluster Champions League effort at Olympiacos, but the Foxes will prove to be a mighty challenge.

That means Pochettino has to get his tactics and team selection just right to outwit Brendan Rodgers. That likely means a shake up in the team’s attack. Spurs will need multiple goals to win this match. As such, look for Tottenham to go with the following lineup that features two forwards in a 4-2-2-2 setup.

Striker: Harry Kane

Fans continue to wonder whether or not Kane is ready to get on a scoring run, but this match could set up perfectly for him. Leicester will come out and attack Spurs at every opportunity. That will leave room for Kane to work one-on-one against their centre backs.

Striker: Lucas Moura

Lucas managed an important goal at Olympiacos and should be rewarded with a return to the club’s Premier League starting XI. It’s very possible Pochettino will elect to go with Son in this forward position, but we think the Korean will play slightly deeper on Saturday.

Attacking midfielder: Heung-Min Son

Son won’t be playing as a forward per se, but this grouping is going to look like a 4-3-3 an awful lot of the time. His battle with Ricardo Pereira could well decide this match’s outcome.

Attacking midfielder: Christian Eriksen 

Eriksen was abysmal on Wednesday and Pochettino has every reason to drop him ahead of this key fixture. However, doing so might irreparably damage his relationship with the talented Dane. That’s just not worth the risk at this juncture of the campaign.

Defensive midfielder: Tanguy Ndombele

Ndombele’s main task in this match will be to keep James Maddison under wraps. The talented Englishman may well become a Spurs player within the next 12 months, but he’ll do his best to deal Tottenham a harsh blow in this one.

Defensive midfielder: Moussa Sissoko

Pochettino will be tempted to play Harry Winks again, but his game isn’t a great fit for this format. Sissoko’s athleticism and power will prove very useful against the talented Foxes’ midfield.

Left back: Danny Rose

Rose didn’t make the trip to Greece so he’s a mortal lock to start this match. Ben Davies might get some minutes, but Tottenham will want the Englishman’s energy to get off on the right foot.

Centre back: Toby Alderweireld

Alderweireld continues to be one of the first names on Pochettino’s team sheet. He wasn’t great in Greece, but he’s got a lot of cache built up with his Argentine manager.

Centre back: Davinson Sanchez

If Pochettino truly dropped Jan Vertonghen for tactical reasons earlier this season than he must do so again on Saturday. Sanchez’s pace could be crucial in making sure Jamie Vardy doesn’t break free one-on-one with the keeper. It will be a brave call from Pochettino to hand Sanchez the start, but the club’s motto calls for it.

Right back: Serge Aurier

Aurier will be desperate to build off his sensational play against Palace last weekend. Pochettino called for more consistency from him, and Spurs will need another solid 90 minutes at right back if they want to defeat Leicester.

Keeper: Hugo Lloris 

This may turn out to be the Frenchman’s biggest test since the match at Manchester City. Tottenham will need him to be superb on Saturday. Any calamitous error from Lloris could cost them the chance to earn a valuable result.