Our first Europa League tie is always a tough one to predict but we know a number of things ahead of this evening’s clash with AEL Limassol. Emmanuel Adebayor, Christian Eriksen, Aaron Lennon, Younes Kaboul, Etienne Capoue, and Michel Vorm have all been left behind while others who were involved in the World Cup have travelled with the squad.

The Belgian trio of Nacer Chadli, Jan Vertonghen and Mousa Dembele are available along with Brazil’s Paulinho and head coach Mauricio Pochettino suggests that all may feature.

Elsewhere, Kyle Walker and Vlad Chiriches also sit this one out making this hard to call – here’s our best guess but what’s your view?

4-4-2

Lloris, Naughton, Dawson, Vertonghen, Davies, Chadli, Holtby, Paulinho, Townsend, Soldado, Kane.

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22 COMMENTS

  2. Pocchetino likes to have a defensive midfielder paired with a box to box, so he wont play Paulinho and Holtby together. He is more likely to play Sandro and Holtby or Sandro and Dembele.

    I am very surprised that Cebellos and Mason are not in the squad. They were our two most exciting players to watch preseason.

    It would make sense to rest all the players who started against West Ham, with the exception of Naughton who misses the QPR game because of the sending off. Pocchetino may be looking at picking Vorm for QPR or the return leg against Limassol.

    Lloris

    Naughton Dawson Vertonghen Davies

    Sandro Holtby

    Dembele Kane Townsend

    Soldado

  6. ……………….lloris…………………
    Naughton…dier…vert….Davies…

    ……………sandro…holtby…..

    Lamela…..dembele….chadli…
    ……………soldado………

  7. Funny Poch saying he will take it serious with the champ league spot on offer… the reality is that was just camera talk. By leaving ade, eriksen etc at home kinda proves that.

    To be honest I am glad he isnt taking it serious. 20 odd games to win this tourny and even then you have the champ league teams to contend with in the later stages. Not worth it and thur / sun football never suits us.

    Personally I think he is just using this game as a ‘competitive friendly’ to give the likes of verts, dembele, paulinho, chadli, a cobweb removing excercise and to give fringe players a game.

    Wouldnt be suprised if it was:

    Friedel
    Naughton
    Dawson
    Fryers
    Davies

    Bentaleb
    Paulinho
    Dembele
    Chadli
    Townsend

    Soldado

  8. Consistency is key at this stage so I’d pick the strongest 11 available, or at least on Merit, to push on league form.

    So…

    Lloris
    Yedlin
    Dier
    Vertonghen
    Rose

    Capoue
    Eriksen
    Dembele

    Lamela
    Lennon
    Soldado (5 in 7 last campaign).

    Once schedule kicks in…

    Vorm

    Yedlin
    Dier
    Vertonghen
    Davies

    Bentelab
    Eriksen
    Holtby

    Chadli
    Townsend
    Kane

    • Great shout Steve! Only thing he brings to the team is pace but has nothing else to back it up. Townsend over Lennon every time for me. COYS

  18. “insight hateful propoganda” I can’t even imagine what that means. Even if you substitute incite for “insight” it still doesn’t make sense. How do you incite propoganda ? Maybe you mean commission or sponsor or pay for propoganda? That still wouldn’t make any sense but at least it would have meaning.

  19. Good points til the third-to-last paragraph. Islam IS the problem, the core of all non-resolvable dimensions of the issues cataloged. Atop all the reasons why differences won't be solved, Islam is the reason they CAN'T be solved.

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