The hectic Christmas – New Year period is upon us and there is hardly any time to catch our breath. Hardly hours have passed since Tottenham’s disappointing loss to Brighton & Hove Albion in the Premier League and here we are, looking forward to the next game against Andoni Iraola’s Bournemouth.
After a run of impressive results, Spurs were brought back down to earth by Roberto de Zerbi’s Brighton team. Ange Postecoglou’s men were 4-0 down at one stage only to be salvaged to an extent by late strikes from Alejo Veliz and Ben Davies. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg struck the post late on but there was not much to write home about.
Bournemouth on the other hand are on some run since November. The month did not start very well for them with a 6-1 defeat to Manchester City. That humiliation in the hands of the defending champions seems to have sparked the Cherries into life. In the seven games since the one against Pep Guardiola’s men, they have scored 18 goals and conceded just five goals, winning six out of the seven and drawing just one against Aston Villa.
If anyone thinks this is going to be an easy game for the North London side, think twice. Iraola’s men are a force to be reckoned with and will be keen on spoiling Tottenham’s party on Christmas eve. Spurs meanwhile have shown a lot of resilience so far this campaign and will be keen to bounce back.
All this makes the game between Spurs and the Cherries a very interesting watch and here is everything you need to know about it.
DATE & TIME:
December 31, 2023, 12:30pm UK time
TEAM NEWS
Not much changes for Tottenham on the injury front. Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison will all miss out. Dejan Kulusevski is suspended after accumulating five yellow cards so far this season. Oliver Skipp missed out on the Brighton clash with a slight knock but should be back, as Ange Postecoglou confirmed.
Bournemouth have injury issues of their own. Tyler Adams, their summer signing is a long-term absentee. Ryan Fredericks (calf), Lloyd Kelly (thigh), Hamed Traore (illness), and Emiliano Marcondes (ankle) will all miss out on the Spurs clash whilst there is uncertainty over the availability of Milos Kerkez and Darren Randolph.
MATCH ANALYSIS
Tottenham Hotspur:
We don’t expect Ange Postecoglou to deviate from his tried and tested 4-2-3-1 formation. Guglielmo Vicario will continue in goal, hoping not to concede four goals this time around although the Italian shot-stopper could not have done anything better in any of the goals that Spurs conceded against Brighton.
There are not many options Ange Postecoglou has with respect to his back four. The only option would be bringing Eric Dier in place of Emerson Royal but the Australian gaffer doesn’t seem to fancy him. Expect Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie to retain their places in defence.
In midfield, Pape Matar Sarr is a sureshot candidate but who partners him is a question. Just like Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg doesn’t seem to be Postecoglou’s preferred option. That said, the Dane has not put a foot wrong on the pitch so far. Oliver Skipp might be entrusted to started against Bournemouth though.
In front of the duo, Son Heung-min and Brennan Johnson are expected to retain their places. Giovani Lo Celso is likely to come in to replace the suspended Dejan Kulusevski with Richarlison rounding off the forward line as the #9. Despite Alejo Veliz‘s cameo, the Brazilian is expected to hold on to his place.
Bournemouth:
Andoni Iraola is likely to mirror Postecoglou’s formation and start the Cherries in a 4-2-3-1 formation. We don’t expect many changes from the game against Fulham.
Former Barcelona man Neto is expected to continue in goal. In front of him would be a back four comprising of Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi and Dango Ouattara.
The midfield double pivot is likely to comprise of Alex Scott and Ryan Christie. It must be remembered that Tottenham had shown a lot of interest in the former prior to his move to Bournemouth.
Ahead of the duo, Iraola will field a front three comprising of Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Marcus Tavernier. There is no doubt that Dominic Solanke is going to continue leading the line after his impressive goalscoring form this season.
PREDICTED LINEUPS
Tottenham Hotspur: (4-2-3-1): Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie; Oliver Skipp, Pape Matar Sarr; Son Heung-min, Giovani Lo Celso, Brennan Johnson; Richarlison.
Bournemouth: (4-2-3-1): Neto Mura; Adam Smith, Illia Zabarnyi, Marcos Senesi, Dango Ouattara; Alex Scott, Ryan Christie; Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert, Marcus Tavernier; Dominic Solanke.
PREDICTIONS
Both teams love scoring a goal and this game could be one that is filled with them. It promises to be the perfect new year eve’s treat for both set of fans. Ultimately, Spurs’ superior quality in attack could just see them through this one but we won’t be surprised if it goes the other way too. So expect a high scoring game, one that could end 4-3 in Tottenham’s favour.
