Tottenham Hotspur head coach Mauricio Pochettino has a massive selection dilemma to deal with.
He takes his side to Fiorentina for a crucial Europa League clash this evening, just three days before Sunday’s Capital One Cup final against Chelsea.
Pochettino has a fully fit squad to choose from, but rotation is inevitable, as he needs to make sure his players are as fresh as possible in both big games.
Here’s the XI we reckon Spurs will start with in Florence, where they need to score to progress, having conceded an away goal in last week’s 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane…
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GK: Hugo Lloris
Two games in four days should be no problem at all for a goalkeeper. Spurs will need Lloris to be on top form if they are to prosper in what could be a season-defining week.
RB: Kyle Walker
Walker is one of the fittest members of Tottenham’s squad, so he could well start both games this week.
LB: Ben Davies
Left-back is the position Pochettino feels most comfortable rotating his players in. Davies has been the Europa League man all season, so he will start tonight in place of Danny Rose, who is expected to be on Wembley duty.
CBs: Jan Vertonghen and Ben Dier
Vertonghen is likely to play against Fiorentina and Chelsea, but he will probably have different partners in each game. Sunday’s Capital One Cup final may require more experience, so Federico Fazio will probably start at Wembley, with young Dier getting the nod in Italy.
CMs: Benjamin Stambouli and Paulinho
Pochettino will want Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason in good shape on Sunday, so he may well give both the night off in Italy. Paulinho played 84 minutes in the first leg and he is likely to start again, probably alongside Stambouli, although Bentaleb could be deemed too important to rest.
AMs: Christian Eriksen, Erik Lamela and Mousa Dembele
Eriksen, Nacer Chadli and Andros Townsend were the attacking midfield trio who started on New Year’s Day when Spurs thrashed Chelsea 5-3 at White Hart Lane. Pochettino may well want to give those three players a chance to repeat that feat on Sunday, so Chadli and Townsend look likely to be rested tonight. Eriksen is too important to rest – as we learned at the weekend when he came on at half time against West Ham – so he should face Fiorentina, with Lamela and Dembele alongside him.
ST: Roberto Soldado
Soldado looked pretty sharp in last week’s first leg, opening the scoring with a fierce first-time strike, before very nearly doubling his tally with a bicycle kick. With Kane on the bench, the Spaniard is likely to get another chance to impress.
