Nuno Espirito Santo will take his Tottenham squad – without Harry Kane – to Portugal to face Pacos de Ferreira on Thursday night, in the first leg of their Europa League play-off final.
The Portuguese kit went on to this stage after beating Northern Ireland’s Larne 4-1 overall in the third qualifying round, for which they qualified by earning a fifth place in last season’s Primeira Liga.
Tottenham went straight into the playoffs to fight for a place in the competition with a seventh place in the league last semester and will enter Thursday night with full force, after just seeing reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 1- 0 to start its domestic campaign.
Here is the lineup Santo can choose in an attempt to continue the winning form.
A first start for Cristian Romero could be on the cards / Marc Atkins / Getty Images
Pierluigi Gollini (GK) – Hugo Lloris was between the sticks for the victory over City but after his loan arrival, Gollini was able to make his debut in this one. Matt Doherty (RB) – Japhet Tanganga was huge last time, but with the expected rotation we could see Doherty’s first start under the man who allowed him to thrive in the former club Wolves.Cristian Romero (CB) – Last season’s Serie A defenders of the year should be in line for their full debut.Eric Dier (CB) – Got dissatisfied with almost everyone who was associated with Spurs last semester, although a fantastic performance against City has given him another chance at Lilywhites. Ben Davies (LB) – Sergio Reguilon will probably also get a rest, which means that Welsh Davies can enter the side for Thursday night.
Oliver Skipp last impressed / Michael Regan / Getty Images
Harry Winks (CM) – Blinkar can get a shot in the side if Santo chooses to rotate things, which gives the 25-year-old a chance to impress his new manager. Oliver Skipp (CM) – A very encouraging performance recently can be an indication of a great season waiting for the 20-year-old, who can seal his place in the heart of the midfield throughout the season. Giovani Lo Celso (AM) – Dele Alli can rest after the shift he made against City, which means that Lo Celso can get a starting role.
Will Heung-Min Son be Tottenham’s captain this season? / Visionhaus / Getty Images
Steven Bergwijn (RW) – Struggled to find an end product last time, but can get good exercises against what is likely to be a worse defense on Thursday night. Heung -min Son (ST) – No Kane? No pain. Son stepped up to his side last time, and if their captain were to leave, this man will be the shining light and will love even more with the faithful Spurs. Bryan Gil (LW) – A really exciting future and potential star signing, this would be a brilliant opportunity for Gil to hit the ground running at Tottenham.
