da betway： Saturday is the game that could make or break Tottenham’s season.
da betcris： Chelsea’s two recent slip-ups against Crystal Palace and Manchester United in the Premier League have blown the title race wide open, and Mauricio Pochettino’s side now sit a mere four points behind the league leaders with five games to go.
While Saturday’s fixture bares no influence directly on the league standings, the FA Cup semi-final at Wembley could prove to be the game that decides the location of the Premier League title.
The pendulum of momentum would surely swing in the direction of whoever comes out on top at the weekend, and Tottenham will be desperate to ensure it comes their way having won the last seven league games on the bounce.
An FA Cup final and the edge over the league leaders going into the final five games of the season? Any Spurs fan would have taken that in a heartbeat at the start of the season.
The Lilywhites will surely want to be at their best for the crucial clash this weekend, so here is how they are likely to line-up against the Blues…
GK – Hugo Lloris
No other option. The Frenchman has been omnipresent between the sticks for Spurs this season. In the 28 Premier League games he has started and finished, Lloris has kept 13 clean sheets and been on the losing side just three times. While Michel Vorm has been the go to man for the FA Cup this season, Pochettino will look to the Frenchman for the big occasion.
RB – Kieren Trippier
It is bemusing that Kieren Trippier does not start ahead of Kyle Walker. The little Englishman has been fantastic when called upon this season, providing a potent attacking threat down the threat just as Walker does but offering a higher degree of defensive stability to boot.
Trippier has only two less assists than Walker this season in under a quarter of the amount of starts. He has also started every FA Cup game this season, so fair is fair.
CB – Toby Alderweireld
The Belgian defender has again been formidable this season, and his partnership with fellow countryman Jan Vertonghen has blossomed into arguably the best defensive partnership in the Premier League.
Left out of the PFA Team of the Year, the 28-year-old is right to feel hard done by.
CB – Jan Vertonghen
Again, Vertonghen’s partnership with Toby Alderweireld has been one of the big reasons Tottenham find themselves in the position they are this season. All good teams are built upon the foundation of a good defence, and Spurs have just that with the Belgian duo at the heart of their back four.
LB – Ben Davies
The absence of the excellent Danny Rose through injury since the middle of January has meant Welshman Ben Davies has had a good chunk of first team action for the first time in a while at White Hart Lane.
Davie’s performances, however, have not lived up to that of his team-mates and has struggled to make his mark. With Rose still out injured, a big performance against the Blues on Saturday could turn his season around.
CM – Victor Wanyama
An excellent addition to the Spurs squad over the summer, Wanyama has fulfilled the role of holding midfielder brilliantly and has looked like the man Tottenham were missing for much of last season.
Strong in the tackle and composed on the ball, the Kenyan is a master of breaking up the play and keeping the ball in possession.
CM – Moussa Dembele
Moussa Dembele is without doubt the most criminally under-rated player in the top flight. Everton midfielder and England international Ross Barkley recently heaped praise upon the Belgian, saying he is ‘the toughest opponent he has ever faced.’
Dembele dictates play in a manner so elegant and fluent, he too often does not receive the praise he so deserves.
CAM – Christian Eriksen
Christian Eriksen has without a doubt had his best season in a Spurs shirt. The midfield maestro has added a much needed cutting edge to his already impressive play, amounting an astonishing 14 assists and 11 goals in all competitions for Spurs this season. One more goal will equal his best ever total of 2014/15 having played 15 less games.
CAM – Son Heung-min
What a second half of the season the Korean has had. Son started the season brightly but had a slight dip in form over the Christmas period where he was struggling to find the net as regularly as he had been.
The versatile attacker has come into his own since the turn of the year and has now registered 19 goals in all competitions for the Lilywhites.
CAM – Dele Alli
A real candidate for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, Alli is a true talent of world football and the best young player England has produced since Wayne Rooney.
Nearly every club in the worldwill be vying for his services over the summer with him having netted 20 times already this season. He single handedly dismantled Chelsea just after the new year when he scored two fantastic headers to give Spurs a 2-0 victory.
Another display like that at the weekend and Chelsea will be in trouble.
ST – Harry Kane
Touted as a ‘one season wonder’, Harry Kane has defied all his critics by joining an elite league of players to score 20 or more goals in three consecutive Premier League seasons. The only other three in that heralded category are Alan Shearer, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Thierry Henry. Not bad company to be in.