It’s a real guess as to who will take to the field tonight but what we do know is that there are several absentees due to injury. Emmanuel Adebayor has joined Scott Parker, BAE, Younes Kaboul and Jake Livermore on the sidelines and all five are certain to be ruled out this evening.

“Ade has been struggling with a muscle injury, so he will be out of the game,” said Andre Villas-Boas.

“Benoit is still out, we’re waiting for the specialist to see his knee.

“Jake is making a good recovery from his groin strain, we’re looking to have him back in 10, 15 more days.

“Scotty is still a bit far off, maybe three weeks before he returns to first team training, so slowly making progress and Younes is out for some time.”

So who could be brought into as replacements for the side that started against Reading on Sunday? Hugo Lloris seems a probability in goal while Michael Dawson and Steven Caulker could be pushing for starts in defence.

AVB hinted that Clint Dempsey could play the lone striker role while there is a possibility that Andros Townsend or Tom Carroll could be involved.

Here’s what we think but what’s your opinion?

SHARE

45 COMMENTS

  8. I think we should stick with Defoe up front but play Dempsey and Dembele just behind him (resting Lennon and Bale) with Sandro, Huddlestone and Gylfi supporting the midfield. At the back while I am a big fan of Daws – does he have the pace for the high line we play – I’d stick with Gallas while he’s still available and definitely introduce Caulker for the full 90 alongside the two Kyles who’ll give us some width on the wings. But mainly excited in seeing Lloris’s famed distribution behind the line – he’s supposed to be a class act in starting attacks from deep.

  10. vs Lazio
    Friedel

    Walker Caulker Dawson Naughton

    Huddlestone Carroll

    Bostock Dempsey Townsend

    Kane

    Subs : Cudicini, Vertonghen, Bale, Lennon, Defoe, Dembele, Sandro

    vs QPR

    Lloris

    Walker Vertonghen Gallas Naughton

    Sandro Dembele

    Lennon Sigurdsson Bale

    Defoe

    Subs; Freidel, Caulker, Huddlestone, Dempsey, Townsend, Bostock

    • Kanes at Norwich mate, Bostock is at a League 1 side.

      We dont have that much depth espeicially with Parker, Livermore, Ade and Kaboul injured

      Basically Dempsey, Carroll, Townsend, Caulker, Dawson, Smith, Lloris, Huddlestone, Falque and Jenas are the only ones available who didnt start on Sunday.

      Replace Bostock in your team with Falque

  11. Lloris, Walker, Chaulker, Vertonghen (Dawson), Naughton, Sandro, Huddlestone, Dempsey, Townsend, Sigurdson, Defoe

    Should rest a few players. I have taken out Lennon Dembele and Bale as we really need to keep them uninjured. Both has had had a slight tendency of becoming injured. Think Lazio still will find it hard to beat this team.

  13. I think we have a big enough squad now and am relieved that we hopefully have a clever enough manager to rotate it. I am relieved to see Livermore is not back yet because I think he is an average player at best, a bit like Jenas , doesn’t really do anything of note he’s not as good in the challenge as Parker or Sandro and he doesn’t get assists or score. Also although a few mistimed challenges against reading I want to see kyle naughton play again just to see if he could potentially have an impact like the other Kyle. One thing we definitely need to build on the reading win, and a big game at home in the first leg against a very inform lazio is not the time to start with Carroll or Townsend (maybe bring on if your winning). We looked fantastic against reading and we need to carry on with that rhythumn and not disrupt it too much, the players will benefit playing with each other again for the QPR game. The only changes I would make that I don’t think would weaken our team to the one that beat reading would be Dempsey, Lloris, Dawson

    Team
    Lloris

    Walker/ Vertongen/ Dawson/ Naughton

    Sandro/ Dembele

    Lennon/ Dempsey/ Bale

    Defoe

    Subs to come on
    Huddelstone, Sigurdsson

    If winning by 2
    Caulker, Carroll, Townsend

    Rest
    Gallas (old)

    Looking forward to watching tonight’s game if we put out a good team, coys!

  15. We want to win this so no reserve team, if we win this trophy it will be the biggest thing we have won in 20 odd years and the biggest thing we are likely to ever win with Barcelona in europe and the Manchesters staying on top of the league, Id go with:

    Lloris
    Walker, Caulker, Verts, Naughton
    Dembele Sandro, Carroll
    Bale, Townsend
    Dempsey

  16. lloris

    walker-caulker-vertonghen-Naughton

    Huddlestone-Sandro-Dembele

    Lennon – Dempsey – Townsend

    bench – cudicini – dawson – falque – carroll – smith – defoe – bale

    • I like this one. I want to see Hudd and Dembele boss the midfield together. Two changes: start Bale, Coulibay on bench. Sub in Dawson for Vert. after we get a lead. Townsend for Lennon or Bale, Coulibay for the other or Dempsey to rest him for QPR.

  17. LLoris (or Friedel if LLoris will start this wkend)

    Naughton – Dawson – Caulker – Vertonghen

    Sandro

    Townsend – Carroll -Siggo

    Bale – Dempsey

  18. If we play a lot of youngsters and get whipped at home by joint top serie A lazio, this will not bode well for QPR game, Lloris, Dawson & Dempsey in for Friedel, Gallas & Sigurdsson. Defoe needs to play and score again while in such great form. By all means bring caulker ,Carroll & Townsend on if were winning but ultimately start them in the league cup

  20. I agree that momentum is important, in the Premier League that is, most of my mates are Spurs or Cheatski and only a few Spurs fans I know think that a strong Europa League run is important. We also have some strong players on the injury list so seeing more first team players join that list tonight would see any possible momentum in the league disappear. I suppose it’s personal preference, top four or a trophy!! Stongly agree about Jake, he is a squad player in my opinion. I also hope that AVB only plays two defensive holding midfielders in certain games in the future such Utd away for example and when he does he needs to play Dembele behind the striker.

    Does anyone know what the French translation is for ”please be patient Hugo, you are our future”?

  22. hoepfully not Sandro. He is too important for QPR on Sunday with Parker and Livermore injured. He went back to South America for international games and does get injured a fair bit so could do with a rest.

    Team
    Lloris

    Walker/ Vertongen/ Dawson/ Naughton

    Jenas/ Huddlestone

    Lennon/ Sigurdsson/Dempsey

    Defoe

  23. Lloris
    Walker Vertonghen Caulker Naughton
    Huddlestone Dembele/Sandro
    Townsend Dempsey Bale
    Defoe

    If Adebayor is fit for the weekend, give him a start against QPR. Bale came off early vs Reading so he should raring to go. Townsend to deputise for Lenny. Huddlestone can be that creative link should AVB decide to rest Dembele, who should play no longer than 45mins.

  24. Yeah for sure, Huddlefro is quality, what does everyone think about the Defoe / Adebayor debate, Jermain is a brilliant player to have but personaly if fit I would pick Ade for as many games as he could handle, he fits the AVB system better as long as he’s up for it and works hard, perhaps AVB won’t be able to bring the best out of him, what do you guys think?

  25. Lloris

    Walker, Dawson, Caulker, Naughton

    Townsend Dembele Huddlestone Bale
    Dempsey
    Defoe

    subs:
    Cudicini
    Vertonghen
    Jenas
    Sandro
    Carroll
    Mayson
    Sigurdsson

  27. Caught between 2 extremes aren’t we? Do we give youngsters a run out or do we play full team (to bed in new system and players)??? The Hudd suits Euro football, and I would like to see him start. Do we really want to drop Lloris into this one?

  28. I really don’t think playing a strong team in the Uefa cup and fa cup will hinder our top 4 ambitions this season. Maybe before it would have as harry preferred to freeze players out and play a strict first team 11 of favourites in every league game but now I think the squad is a lot better. The only position that we could do with more cover is the advanced striker with just Defoe & Ade, if one gets injured we will play Dempsey but in avb’s formation he is not the player for that, much more effective deeper rotating with sigurdssen in the hole. But this is what I mean , better than before we have lennon, bale, dempsey,sigurdsson, dembele and townsend who can all rotate as the 3 advanced positions behind the striker. Then we have of quality Sandro , Dembele, huddelstone and Parker rotating for the 2 central midfield positions. In dembele it is like having a defensive, playmaking midfielder in 1! Which to a lesser extent do is huddelstone, so to as long as we don’t play Parker & Sandro together who are both mainly ball winners first that should get over the problem Simon suggests. Add to this 3 signings I am pretty sure we will sign 3 first team players in January as our 50m war chest promised by the board (did he really say that? Remember it being on the radio and the papers!) well that 50m should now be 60m after our profit of 10m from the summers transfer activities. I think they will be 1 striker who can play up front on his own but prob a cross between ade & Defoe – ideally Leandro Damaio which I think can happen , he said he was sad about not moving to us in the summer and international said they needed him till Christmas so could happen in January – if not I would go for seydou doumbia I think 22m should be enough for either 25m max. (or we could blow 40m on falcao as apparently arhletico Madrid have only actually paid 10m of the 40m they bought him for!) – then we have the central midfield position that moutinho was going to fill, like we have said rotation is easy when every player you rotate is of great quality! So with Parker the wrong side of 30 another central midfielder is required. Sources say moutinho could still move in jan 23m being likely fee. Alternatively ganso from santos would be cheaper at 15m but I also like Isco from Malaga (who need money!) we were close to signing him aswell according to broomfield, he would likely be 18m not forgetting M’vilia persistently linked for 18m but his compatriot Capoue may be another option if problems with his attitude are to much. – the last position I think avb may want a speedy back up for Kyle walker, although Kaboul & Gallas & Naughton can play there so may not be urgent but worth thinking about. But by all means spend 60m on a world class striker and midfielder! Leandro Damaio and Moutinho please : ) or falcao! (dream : ). Coys! 2-0 tonight

  29. AVB will put out a strong side as he want to win this … So expect to see Bale and Lennon start, Hudd in the back with Daws with the two Kyle’s, Dempsy up front as a lone striker … In the middle I can see Stig, Sandro and Demb

  30. Moutinho would be a great signing, my main concern is with Bale and Lennon. Everyone says our season nose dived after the Emirates game but I see it differently. During that poor run we were without Bale and Lennon for most of the time, without the natural width and speed on our flanks our results faltered. I would like to see Mr Levy bring in some youth such as Tom Ince (as we did with Bale all those years ago) and splash out in the transfer market too to resolve this situation and create competetion. We also need to think about another centre half, Vertonghen is quality, we can see that already, Younis is a man mountain and Caulker has a bright future but Gallas is getting on and there are question marks against Dawson in this AVB system due to his lack of turn of speed.

  31. Lloris ~ Walker, Caulker, Vertonghen, Naughton ~ THudd, Sandro, Dembele ~ Townsend, Bale ~ Dempsey. For Lazio possibly resting Dembele, Vertonghen, Bale for weaker fixtures. We need to rotate but we need the class ones out there tonight.

  32. Caulker is not in the squad.

    Tottenham Squad: Lloris, Friedel, Cudicini, Smith, Vertonghen, Gallas, Naughton, Dawson, Walker, Dempsey, Huddlestone, Lennon, Bale, Dembele, Jenas, Carroll, Obika, Sigurdsson, Falque, Townsend, Sandro, Mason, Defoe.

  33. walking down the high road, on my way to get a burger (not from a van) yids oops spurs fans a mass, going to be a good night, i live for this. oh when the spurs………………

Leave a Reply to Istillluvking Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.