Tottenham are very used to playing on Thursday nights this season, but their first midweek clash in December will come in the Premier League when they visit Bournemouth.
Spurs endured a difficult start to November, but ended the month on a high, with a 4-0 demolition of Manchester City the most outstanding They started the Christmas period with a bewilderment draw against Fulham on Sunday and must find some consistency during the hectic winter schedule if they have any genuine hopes of returning to the Champions League next season.
Visiting Bournemouth is never easy, although Spurs have won on their last two trips. The Cherries have beaten Man City’s north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham at home this season and will be confident of another blow to one of the division’s elite sides.
So Ange Postecoglou could be installed this Thursday.
GK: Fraser Forster – With Guglielmo Vicario sidelined for the foreseeable future, Forster is in the midst of a long run in the starting line-up. The veteran made some good saves against Fulham, including a fantastic reaction save to deny Raul Jimenez.
RB: Pedro Porro – Porro was far from flawless against Arsenal loanee Reiss Nelson at the weekend and will be tested again on Thursday night by the indefatigable Marcus Tavernier and the overlapping Milos Kerkez.
CB: Radu Dragusin – Evanilson won three penalties against Wolverhampton Wanderers at the weekend and Dragusin will have to be on song to face the tricky Brazilian. Not always the most assured presence in the backline, but was solid against Fulham.
CB: Ben Davies – The experienced Welshman has been called in to replace Micky van de Ven and has done an outstanding job. The left center will have to be activated against a Bournemouth side that has not been left blank since the beginning of October.
LB: Destiny Udogie – Udogie will be keen to provide Son Heung-min with plenty of attacking support on Thursday as they look to overload Adam Smith’s aging legs at right-back.
CM: Dejan Kulusevski – The in-form playmaker was a surprise omission from the starting XI at the weekend and is due to return on Thursday. Kulusevski has been spurs‘ outstanding creator in the last third of this quarter, flourishing in a central role.
CM: Yves Bissouma – With Rodrigo Bentancur suspended, Bissouma will once again anchor Spurs’ midfield. The tough Mali international always brings solidity to a Tottenham engine room that likes to play on the front foot.
CM: Papa Matar Sarr – Another impressive performance against Fulham means Sarr should earn a fifth consecutive start for Spurs. The all-action midfielder often slips under the radar despite performing at a consistently high level.
RW: Brennan Johnson – That’s now one goal in Johnson’s last four games, which could match his seven-goal streak to start the campaign. Another last trademark finish at the weekend took his Premier League tally to six for the term.
ST: Dominic Solanke – Solanke remains a doubt to return to Bournemouth through illness, but the former Cherry should feature in some form at his old stomping grounds. This will be his first significant appearance against the South Coast side.
LW: Son Heung-min – The South Korean’s four-game streak with a goal or assist for club and country ended on Sunday. However, he has seven goals and two assists in 12 previous games for the Cherries.
