Son Heung-Min Spurs Tottenham Hotspur
Son Heung-Min Spurs
Tottenham Hotspur might have had a dismal Premier League campaign but despite that the Lilywhites will have the opportunity to end their season with a major silverware. Spurs will travel to Bilbao in midweek to face an equally disjointed Manchester United team in the final of the Europa League.
The Lilywhites are currently 17th on the league table with just 11 wins from 37 matches and things are going to be anything but easy for them on Wednesday night. Ange is dealing with a long injury list and the latest Tottenham injury news is not looking great.
However, Postecoglou does deliver trophies in his second season with clubs and all the Tottenham fans will be hoping that the Australian can maintain this streak. They go into this game at the back of just two wins in their previous five matches but Spurs do have a great recent record against Manchester United, winning their last three matches in all competitions.
Spurs team news and tactics for the Europa League final:
DEFENCE:
Vicario, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have not featured in Spurs’ previous two league matches but the trio will return to the starting lineup in midweek. The league games have become inconsequential for Tottenham and Ange has been protecting his important players for the Europa League final.
Udogie and Pedro Porro were also rested for the Aston Villa game but the pair will replace Reguilon and Spence in the full-back roles.
MIDFIELD:
The midfield area will be a cause of concern for the manager because Lucas Bergvall and James Maddison are both sidelined with injuries. Maddison was seen travelling with the rest of the squad to Bilbao but we doubt if he is fit to play any part on Wednesday night.
Pape Sarr seems to have recovered from his injury and will be available for selection but the Spurs manager will rely on Yves Bissouma and Bentancur to marshal the central position. Sarr might start on the bench but his return is a major boost because Ange is short of players in that department.
If Maddison makes an early recovery it will be a massive boost for Tottenham otherwise 20-year-old Wilson Odobert will have to play in the number 10 role.
ATTACK:
Son has been massively underwhelming this season but the South Korean is still the trump card for Postecoglou. If the 32-year-old can find his rhythm early on then Mazraoui could be in a lot of trouble on the right-hand side.
Dejan Kulusevski will be another big miss as the winger has undergone surgery and will only return next season. The Tottenham manager will put faith in Brennan Johnson, who’s scored 11 Premier League goals this season.
Solanke has scored 15 and assisted 8 goals in his first season with Spurs and he will have to be a nuisance in and around the final third. If he can hold up play well enough then Son and Johnson will have the chance to run into open spaces behind Man United’s defence.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Man United:
Goalkeeper: Vicario
Defenders: Romero, Van de Ven, Pedro Porro, Udogie
Midfielders: Yves Bissouma, Bentancur, Odobert
Forwards: Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Son