When Tottenham Hotspur hosts Aston Villa, Ange Postecoglou will have to make some important decisions as the Premier League is about to resume.
Spurs have now suffered back-to-back defeats after an extremely unlucky run of absences that will continue into the holiday season.
Despite the notable absences of Micky van de Ven and James Maddison, there is still reason for hope.
Furthermore, we believe that Postecoglou will now make three adjustments as Tottenham looks to recover.
Destiny Udogie withdrew from the Italy squad prior to the break due to a muscle injury sustained during a match against Fulham last month, giving Spurs some minor injury concerns ahead of their match against the top five on Sunday.
In addition, Guglielmo Vicario, who returned to the bench against Ukraine, missed Italy’s match against North Macedonia last week due to flu-like symptoms.
Vicario appears to be ready to play, and there appears to be optimism regarding Udogie’s fitness.
Otherwise, Postecoglou is probably going to start Villa with the same Tottenham center-back combination because he doesn’t have any other options.
Ange Postecoglou may hand Giovani Lo Celso a start for Tottenham against Villa
The action really picks up in midfield.
Yves Bissouma’s one-game yellow card suspension seems rather arbitrary, but it may open the door for an intriguing revamp of the Spurs midfield.
Giovani Lo Celso and Rodrigo Bentancur might receive infrequent starts.
Bentancur has been gradually increasing his level of fitness while earning £27 million Lo Celso played a great game for Argentina last night against Brazil. Although players like Maddison and Bissouma are missed, this presents an opportunity for others to step up. Postecoglou, a player who has his sights set on a starting position even when all are available, will undoubtedly be thrilled for Bentancur to get his shot. Of course, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will probably keep his spot if either stays on the bench.
In attack, Spurs seem very likely to be unchanged.
Son Heung-Min is still in scintillating form, and Brennan Johnson looks sharp and motivated to make an impression.
Aston Villa will be a firm test for Postecoglou’s Tottenham side, but a win could prove a huge statement after a testing few weeks.
