Tottenham are set to take on Chelsea as the final leg of their pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia – and it’s time for our predicted XI.
Tottenham Hotspur will round out their tour of New Zealand and Australia on Saturday morning when they take on Chelsea in a friendly.
It will be the first time the two sides meet outside of England in their entire history. Spurs remain unbeaten in pre-season after three games and will be hoping to keep it that way when they face their London rivals.
Chelsea, also on tour, managed a victory in their last encounter against Western Sydney and with Tottenham next, they will be hoping to make it two in two as Xabi Alonso aims to make an impact after joining earlier this summer.
Here is our Tottenham predicted XI for the clash between Spurs and Chelsea.
Tottenham predicted XI vs Chelsea in pre-season
Goalkeeper – Antonin Kinsky: The Czech international is yet to feature in Tottenham’s tour of New Zealand and Australia, with Brandon Austin and Martin Dubravka being relied on by De Zerbi. However, with this being the last game on tour, we expect De Zerbi to turn to his new number one.
Right-back – Archie Gray: The youngster has worn the armband for Tottenham in two games while playing in midfield and has looked impressive. But for this encounter, we expect him to be moved to right-back as De Zerbi opts to shuffle his midfielders.
Centre-back – Malachi Hardy: The teenager has managed two consecutive starts for Tottenham in their last pre-season outings and could be poised for a third start against Chelsea as Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven and others see their minutes managed.
Centre-back – Ben Davies: The veteran defender, capable of filling in across the back line, could partner Hardy once more, having done so against Sydney and getting only forty-five minutes of game time.
Left-back – Andy Robertson: After a bright spell off the bench where he offered creativity on the left and could have managed an assist, Robertson’s impressive cameo could see him feature once more for Spurs, but this time from the start.
Defensive midfielder – Sandro Tonali: The Italian came off the bench against Sydney and could be set to start this time around as De Zerbi aims to get him up to speed.
Centre-midfielder – Lucas Bergvall: The Swede earned what was his first start in pre-season on Wednesday, and it could be back-to-back starts with Mateus Fernandes a doubt for this game.
Centre-midfielder – Conor Gallagher: The Englishman was unlucky not to have grabbed a goal against Sydney after hitting the woodwork. James Maddison’s minutes continue to be managed and, as a result, it could be another start for Gallagher.
Left-winger – Manor Solomon: Spurs are without Dejan Kulusevski, Mohammed Kudus and others, and have had to rely on Solomon to fill in out wide for most of pre-season. We expect that to be the case again on Saturday.
Striker – Richarlison: The Brazilian managed a start against Sydney but did not have a sniff at goal. He did show some much-needed energy out of possession with his pressing. He could be set for another start this weekend.
Right-winger – Mathys Tel: Spurs will be hoping the Frenchman continues to impress out wide as he has done this summer. His goal against Sydney is up there with the Fernandes strike for the best goal of the pre-season campaign so far. We expect him to start once more on the right as he continues to stake a claim for a starting spot next season.