Tottenham Hotspur host Fulham today in the 3 o’clock kick-off from the Premier League, and here’s the line-up we think Antonio Conte will start with in north London.
Spurs come off the back of a cagey 1-1 draw with London rivals West Ham. Despite taking the lead in the first half, the Lilywhites struggled to handle the Hammers in the second half and were slightly fortunate to come away with a point in the end.
Fulham meanwhile have been mightily impressive upon their return to the Premier League. The newly-promoted side beat Brighton 2-1 on Tuesday, and currently sit in eighth place in the league table, with eight points from their first five games.
With the hectic fixture list in full swing, Antonio Conte has some decisions to make. The Italian has made no secret of the fact he will have to start resting his key players at some point, but Spurs need to bounce back from a disappointing display in midweek.
That will be easier said than done though, with Fulham flying high and riding a wave of positive momentum right now. Not to mention the fact that this fixture is another London derby, albeit not the fiercest of rivalries.
While Conte is not known for ringing the changes, we reckon there will be a few adjustments to his team selection today. One thing’s for certain though, the Spurs boss will stick with his trusty 3-4-3 formation. Here’s our predicted line-up.
Lloris (C); Romero, Dier, Davies; Royal, Hojbjerg, Bentancur, Sessegnon; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Kane
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Cristian Romero participated in full training this week (Football.London) and looks set to return to the starting line-up. The Argentinian missed the last three games through injury.
Davinson Sanchez deputised admirably in his absence, but when Romero is fit it’s a no-brainer that he reclaims his place in the back three.
Rodrigo Bentancur is another player who appears to be back to full fitness and he should slot into central midfield once more. The Uruguayan suffered a concussion against Nottingham Forest last weekend and missed the West Ham game in midweek.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is likely to partner Bentancur, with Conte being quite frank in his assessment of Yves Bissouma’s full debut against West Ham (Football.London). Hojbjerg did pick up a little knock in that game, but that doesn’t appear to be a lasting issue.
If Conte wants to rest players, we think Ivan Perisic could take the bench for the Fulham game, with Ryan Sessegnon stepping in. The Croatian has been in fine form this season but as one of the older players in the squad, Conte will want to avoid over-working him.
Another player we reckon could be rested is Heung-Min Son, meaning we may finally see Richarlison make his first start for the club. Son has looked out of sorts so far this season, and Conte may give his new signing the chance to stake his claim for a starting spot.
Whether Conte would actually make four changes to his starting XI is debatable, but with the games coming thick and fast, now is as good a time as any to start rotating the squad.
The match kicks off at 3:00 pm (UK time) on September 3, 2022. Unfortunately, it is not available to watch live on any television platforms in the UK..
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