Pedro Porro is ready to come back in at right-back, and that is the one change we expect Roberto De Zerbi to make when Spurs go to Elland Road on Saturday.
Tottenham kick off against Leeds at 12.30pm UK time on Saturday, November 7, chasing a fourth straight Premier League win before the international break. The side that beat Crystal Palace 2-0 has picked itself for a fortnight, so most of this team writes itself.
The real calls are at right-back, in the number 10 role and on the bench, where Lucas Bergvall and Tosin Adarabioyo are pushing to be involved again.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Leeds United
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Leeds United (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Tonali, Mateus Fernandes; Kudus, Marmoush, Tel; Solanke
That is the XI that started against Palace with one swap: Pedro Porro for Archie Gray. We go through every pick below.
Goalkeeper and defence
Antonin Kinsky: no reason to change
Spurs have not conceded in their last two league games, and Kinsky touched the ball only 18 times against ten-man Palace. Dubravka stays on the bench.
Pedro Porro: fit, fresh and the right man for Leeds
Porro hurt his hamstring against Aston Villa, missed about a month and played the second half against Palace. De Zerbi was clear afterwards: “Pedro is ready; we didn’t take risks.” He also said holding Porro back was partly the player’s own call, because the Premier League is 38 games, not one.
Gray has done nothing wrong, as we covered in the right-back decision De Zerbi now faces. He scored the opener against Palace and was only taken off because of an early booking. But Leeds get their width from the wing-backs, and Porro gives Spurs more going forward on that side. It is a close call, and we lean Porro.
Jan Paul van Hecke and Micky van de Ven: the Calvert-Lewin test
Van Hecke headed the second goal against Palace and had 160 touches, and Van de Ven wore the armband. Leeds will go long to Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and this pair winning the first contact is the biggest job of the afternoon.
Andy Robertson: stays at left-back
Robertson started at left-back against Palace and keeps his place. Destiny Udogie came off the bench against Palace and is building up minutes, so he is a strong option later in the game.
Who sits behind Kudus and Marmoush?
Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes: the pair that changed the season
Two starts together, two clean sheets. Fernandes completed 72 of his 81 passes against Palace, and Tonali was the player De Zerbi singled out afterwards. We explained why De Zerbi’s new midfield pair has fans so excited, and there is no case for splitting them now. Rodrigo Bentancur is available again after his ban, but he starts on the bench.
Mohammed Kudus: the set-piece threat
Kudus whipped in the corner for Gray’s opener against Palace and had the second-best expected goals figure of any Spurs player that day, 0.76. He starts on the right.
Omar Marmoush: keeps the number 10 role
De Zerbi praised Marmoush and Solanke for their work when Spurs lost the ball against Palace. James Maddison is fit and pushing hard, and he is the one we would turn to if the game needs a moment of quality, but we think the head coach keeps the side that has won three in a row.
Mathys Tel: on the left again
Tel started against Palace and keeps his place. Dejan Kulusevski, freshly back in the Sweden squad, has come off the bench in each of his three appearances since his long injury, and we expect the same here.
Dominic Solanke: needs a goal
Solanke had only 24 touches against Palace before Conor Gallagher replaced him, but De Zerbi has kept backing him. His last goal was the stoppage-time equaliser at Old Trafford, and our Leeds vs Tottenham preview explains why this will be a game of very few clear chances.
Injuries and doubts before Elland Road
Bergvall and Tosin are both minor doubts. Asked before the Palace game when they could return, De Zerbi said: “Before the international break, for Tosin and Bergvall. Maybe.” Saturday is the last game before the break, so either could make the bench at best.
Mykhaylo Mudryk (ankle) and Savio (muscle) are out until after the break, with the home game against Ipswich Town on November 21 their earliest target. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are still out with knee injuries. Nobody is suspended.
Discipline matters too. Gallagher is on three Premier League bookings, while Gray, Fernandes, Van Hecke and Van de Ven are on two each in a game against a physical Leeds side that will make it a battle.
Spurs XI for Saturday
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Leeds United (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Robertson; Tonali, Mateus Fernandes; Kudus, Marmoush, Tel; Solanke
