Tottenham Hotspur welcome Italian side Fiorentina to White Hart Lane on Thursday evening for the second leg of their Europa League last-32 tie. The two teams drew 1-1 in the first match when Nacer Chadli’s penalty cancelled out Federico Bernardeschi’s deflected opener, although their away goal could prove vital in the tie. Spurs were dumped out of the FA Cup on Sunday from the fifth round with a 0-1 loss against Crystal Palace on Sunday while Fiorentina won against Atalanta by 3 goals to 2 and kept their 3rd position in the table.
Goalkeeper: Michel Vorm
Unfortunately for Pochettino, Tottenham’s number one keeper Hugo Lloris is doubtful for this game, hence Vorm will start between the sticks on Thursday. Not having the Frenchman is a massive blow for Spurs but is a perfect chance for Vorm to show the fans what he can offer to the team.
Defenders: Kieran Trippier, Ben Davies, Tobey Alderweireld and Kevin Wimmer.
One can expect a lot of changes (rotation) to the back four which started against Crystal Palace on Sunday. Trippier will make a return to the starting XI to fill the right back position while Davies will man the left side. Wimmer will continue in central defense along with Alderweireld, who has been fantastic this season for the North London team.
Midfielders: Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son, Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason
Bentaleb will maintain his place in the team along with his central midfield partner Mason. Both of them have been very consistent this season and have protected the back four excellently. Although Onomah started against Palace during the weekend, we feel Eriksen will return to the midfield, behind the striker in the number 10 role. South Korean international Heung-Min Son will start on the right wing and youngster Dele Alli who has been phenomenal in his debut season with Spurs is likely to start on the left wing.
Striker: Harry Kane
This is a very tricky decision for the manager. If Spurs were still in the FA Cup, one feels they would have started with Chadli in the number 9 role, with Kane not being risked for Europa League. But since they were eliminated this week, Pochettino might be tempted to start with his number striker Kane.
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