Tottenham predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest - Premier League

By 90min | Created at 2024-12-25 19:48:47 | Updated at 2024-12-27 18:14:29 1 day ago

11th in the Premier League table and still bereft of senior defenders, Ange Postecoglou isn't exactly loving life in north London.

Tottenham doubtlessly entertain and they did once again in a 6-3 defeat to league leaders Liverpool, but Postecoglou's idealism in the absence of an optimal XI is starting to see the Lilywhites emerge as somewhat of a parody.

They can be remarkable to watch in full cry and admirable performers against the division's best, but how far can Postecoglou take this Tottenham team? Performances in the cups will be crucial for the Australian this term.

Festive cheer is in short supply on the white half of north London, and Spurs may be in for a tough Boxing Day as they travel to the red-hot Nottingham Forest. Here's how the visitors could line up at the City Ground.

Dejan Kulusevski continues to function as Spurs' shining light / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

GK: Fraser Forster - Forster had performed pretty well after Guglielmo Vicario broke his foot at the Etihad, but he's had a nightmare few days on home soil. Perhaps he'll fare better away from N17 on Boxing Day.

RB: Djed Spence - Pedro Porro's Instagram deactivation failed to supply the desired results on the field, with the Spaniard continuing to struggle. Spence has been superb since his integration and he could get the nod over Porro at right-back.

CB: Radu Dragusin - An impressive box defender who performs haplessly in possession, Dragusin may well have excelled under previous regimes in north London. The Romanian remains Spurs' only senior centre-back available.,

CB: Archie Gray - The teenager has played everywhere but his preferred position since joining the club, but Gray has shown in recent outings that he's undoubtedly an exciting building block for the future.

LB: Destiny Udogie - The Italian international was back among the substitutes at the weekend after picking up a knock at Southampton. Postecoglou will have to rotate on Thursday and Udogie could come back into the side.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - Yves Bissouma has been forced to play a lot over the past month, but Bentancur is back from his seven-game ban. There may be some rust, but the boss could be tempted to offer the Mali international some respite.

CM: Pape Sarr - The relentless Senegalese star is a pivotal cog in Postecoglou's engine room, with his withdrawal when the game was gone on Sunday suggesting preservation for the trip to the City Ground.

CM: Dejan Kulusevski - The Swede has shown he can still be effective when operating out wide, but Postecoglou is likely to return Kulusevski to the middle of the park. Much of his good work has arrived from a central position this season.

RW: Brennan Johnson - Johnson has featured more sporadically as of late and there has been a downturn in production. The Welshman has 13 goal contributions this term, but hasn't scored in his previous six games. Nevertheless, rotation should see the winger come back into the team for his first start since the 4-3 defeat to Chelsea.

ST: Dominic Solanke - Solanke's pulling his weight, there's no doubt about that. The big-money summer arrival has four goal contributions in his previous two games, and although there may be overuse fears, the boss hasn't got much choice but to start Solanke again on Boxing Day.

LW: Son Heung-min - The Spurs skipper is struggling with the workload and was poor at the weekend. He could do with a breather here, but Timo Werner has fallen so drastically down the pecking order that Postecoglou will likely stick with the fading South Korean superstar.