The good news for Tottenham Hotspur right now is that both Yves Bissouma and Heung-min Son are returning to the club after their countries bowed out of the African Cup of Nations and the Asian Cup. However, the bad news is, Ange Postecoglou now has some tough decisions to make for his starting XI against Brighton this weekend.
It’s not a bad problem to have, to be fair, and having the luxury of selecting from an almost fully fit squad is something Postecoglou has not enjoyed since early November of last year.
Spurs have been without both Yves Bissouma and Heung-min Son since the start of 2024, with the pair representing their countries over the last month. Now, with both Mali and South Korea crashing out of their respective tournaments, the race is on to get them fit and ready for the game on Saturday.
Predicted Spurs XI to face Brighton
With this in mind, what does Postecoglou do if he has a full complement of players for the Brighton game? Here is our prediction as to what the gaffer will do in the best-case scenario.
Guglielmo Vicario: Goes without saying. Vicario is our number one keeper and there is no way he’s getting dropped.
Pedro Porro: Another virtually untouchable player at this point. His attacking returns and creativity have been so useful this season.
Cristian Romero: There is talk of Radu Dragusin getting his first start for Spurs soon, but this is not the game for that to happen. The vice-captain starts.
Micky van de Ven: Arguably even more difficult to drop than Romero at this point, given how reliable and calm he is in defence.
Destiny Udogie: The defence pretty much picks itself at this point, and Udogie is absolutely certain to start on the left and continue his rich vein of form going forward.
Yves Bissouma: If he is passed fit, there’s a good chance Bissouma will go straight into the starting lineup and replace Rodrigo Bentancur, who has been flagging a little in the last two games.
Pape Sarr: Has been back at the club for a week now and will be more than ready to go on Saturday. Rekindling his impressive partnership with Bissouma could be very valuable.
James Maddison: The playmaker is back pulling the strings again, and he should be even sharper on Saturday, which is bad news for Brighton.
Timo Werner: A switch to the right could be on the cards for Werner if Son is ready to play from the start on Saturday. Here’s hoping he can be even more productive from that side.
Heung-min Son: If Son is fit, he starts, no question. Having the skipper back, even if he can’t complete the full game, would be a massive lift for everyone in the team.
Richarlison: With the purple patch he’s in right now, not even Son can displace Richarlison at the head of the Spurs attack.
Substitutes:
Fraser Forster
Emerson Royal
Radu Dragusin
Ben Davies
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg
Rodrigo Bentancur
Dejan Kulusevski
Brennan Johnson
Dane Scarlett
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