Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
Photo by Richard Martin-Roberts - CameraSport via Getty Images
Tottenham target Georges Mikautadze
Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP via Getty Images
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Tottenham starting XI we want to see against Leeds United, with Solanke on the bench
Tottenham starting XI we want to see against Leeds United, with Solanke on the bench
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Photo by James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images
Mateus Fernandes Tottenham
Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram
Destiny Udogie Tottenham
Destiny Udogie Tottenham
That win has seen Spurs move up to ninth place, leaving the Lilywhites just three points off fifth, which could well be enough for Champions League qualification.
Up next for Tottenham is Leeds United in the Premier League, and the two sides come into this encounter in contrasting form.
Leeds sit 12th in the table, just a single point behind Tottenham. However, their recent form will leave the Lilywhites feeling encouraged, as Daniel Farke’s men have picked up just three points from their last five games.
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Position Team Played Won Drawn Lost For Against Diff Points
4 9 5 1 3 19 15 4 16
5 9 4 3 2 11 9 2 15
6 9 3 5 1 16 9 7 14
7 9 3 4 2 9 9 0 13
8 9 3 3 3 14 13 1 12
9 9 3 3 3 10 10 0 12
10 9 3 3 3 10 13 -3 12
11 9 2 5 2 11 10 1 11
12 9 2 5 2 9 8 1 11
13 9 3 2 4 12 15 -3 11
If Spurs can nick a win here, there is a chance they go into the November international break sitting in the European places, if results elsewhere go their way.
Ahead of Saturday’s meeting, Spurs Web has put together the starting XI we would love Roberto De Zerbi to put out against Farke’s side.
Destiny Udogie Tottenham
Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram
Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie in for Tottenham against Leeds
In the last two outings, the Lilywhites have been flawless defensively, keeping two consecutive clean sheets, including against Chelsea.
At the heart of those outstanding displays has been a back four of Archie Gray, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven and Andy Robertson.
Against Palace, Gray grabbed his first goal of the season, while van Hecke scored the second and was impressive with his passing out of the Tottenham defence.
The Dutchman even set a club record for the most completed passes in a single game with 143, surpassing Cristian Romero’s 141, which also came against Palace in 2023.
However, despite the success of the backline, we would love to see it freshened up. Pedro Porro has been slowly building his match fitness since his injury against Aston Villa back in September, featuring off the bench against Chelsea and Palace.
De Zerbi has since confirmed Porro is fit enough to start, and we would love him to come into the Tottenham XI, replacing Gray at full-back.
The Spaniard certainly offers a little more creativity from deep with his crossing and link-up play with Mohammed Kudus.
While Leeds may have struggled for results in recent weeks, they remain one of the best defensive sides in the division, having conceded just eight goals in nine games, and if Spurs are to break them down, they will need as much creativity as they can get.
The other change we would love to see is the return of Destiny Udogie at left-back. The Italian has been nursing a knee injury but made his return against Palace, getting 15 minutes into his legs.
Robertson has been superb, but Udogie should offer a bit more defensive solidity against a Leeds side that threatens with their wing-backs.
James Maddison should return in Spurs midfield
Moving into midfield, there is honestly little we want to see changed. The double pivot pretty much picks itself at the moment, given the tremendous form of Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes.
The pair complement each other really well and have been close to unplayable in the last two matches they have started together.
While Fernandes offers plenty of running and cover at the base of midfield, Tonali brings similar energy higher up the pitch, helping Spurs maintain pressure.
Spurs Web looked at the underlying stats of both Tonali and Fernandes, and the numbers clearly show they have been pivotal to the Lilywhites’ recent success.
However, our tweak in midfield would come in the number ten position. Last time out, De Zerbi opted for Omar Marmoush behind Dominic Solanke, but we would love to see James Maddison come into the side instead.
The Englishman missed out entirely against Palace after his injury scare against Chelsea, remaining an unused substitute.
De Zerbi has since clarified that he opted against bringing the Englishman on purely because of his physical condition.
With over two weeks of rest, we expect Maddison to be fit and ready for Saturday’s encounter, and we would love to see him in the number ten role, as he could be vital to unlocking a resolute Leeds defence.
As for the forward line, we would ideally love a front three of Marmoush on the left, Solanke down the middle and Kudus on the right.
Kudus has been in really good form, and his impressive dribbling will be key if Tottenham are to cause Leeds problems.
Solanke hasn’t been much of a presence up front of late, although he may relish a chance to battle against Leeds’ physical back three. On this occasion, we have gone with a more speedy and mobile three of Marmoush, Tel, and Kudus to exploit the gaps between midfield and defence.
In all, this is the XI we want to see: Kinský; Porro, van Hecke, van de Ven, Udogie; Fernandes, Tonali, Maddison; Kudus, Marmoush, Tel.