With title rivals Chelsea knocking them out of the FA Cup at the weekend, Spurs fans in the Tavern are gearing themselves up for an end of the season which could see the comeback of all comebacks.
Whilst there is no doubt that if Tottenham do come back and win the title it would be one of the greatest upsets seen in the Premier League, our landlord has dismissed it as being very unlikely to happen even though Mauricio Pochettino’s men will be fueled by revenge for their West London rivals.
The Spurs fans in the Tavern are remaining optimistic and would love nothing more than to beat the Blues to the title, and have been especially impressed by the form of their talisman, Harry Kane, since his return from injury.
In order to maintain their title push, the Lilywhites will have to brush aside Crystal Palace.
Whilst this seems a straight forward challenge, wins for the Eagles against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have seen Big Sam mount yet another escape from relegation.
The last time these two met was in September and saw a rare Victor Wanyama goal settle the score in a 1-0 victory for Spurs.
In order to get a similar result on Wednesday, our landlord has outlined the XI to make sure Spurs get the three points.
Let’s take a look at it here…
GK: Hugo Lloris
The Spurs captain is truly indispensable to the North London club but his mistake for Chelsea’s first goal at Wembley has not gone unnoticed by the resident Tottenham fans in the Tavern.
The French keeper will look to bounce back by keeping Benteke and co at bay in midweek.
RB: Kyle Walker
Kyle Walker will surely get back into the starting XI for the match against Crystal Palace.
His attacking capabilities make him the perfect modern day full-back, and he can cause the Palace defence some serious damage with his lung-busting runs up the right flank.
CB: Toby Alderweireld
The ever dependable centre back can count himself unlucky to not make the PFA team of the year given his impressive season.
Our landlord believes he truly is underrated and is a huge asset to the Tottenham defence.
CB: Jan Vertonghen
Like his Belgium team mate, Alderweireld, Vertonghen’s performances this season have gone fairly unnoticed by seemingly everyone.
A big performance will be needed from Vertonghen against his international team mate, Christian Benteke, in order to secure a win for Spurs.
LB: Ben Davies
With his knee troubling him all season, our landlord expects Davies to be fit for Wednesday’s game against Palace.
The Welshman has been impressive whilst filling in for Danny Rose on the left side of Spurs’ defence.
CM: Eric Dier
Dier is a true utility player with the ability to play in many positions but our landlord believes the Englishman will be employed in centre midfield for this one.
CM: Mousa Dembele
Dembele was brilliant against Chelsea at the weekend and Spurs fans have really been singing his praises in the Transfer Tavern.
The Belgium international has been the engine room for his side all season and our landlord expects a similar performance from him here.
RM: Christian Eriksen
The Dane is a real talent for Tottenham and his ability to see a pass is a real asset for Mauricio Pochettino’s side.
Spurs fans in the Tavern are still raving about his pass for Dele Alli at Wembley on Saturday and want to see more against Palace.
CAM: Dele Alli
This game will be Dele’s first outing since winning the PFA Young Player of the Year and he will want to impress further until the end of the season.
Palace will have to be wary of the Englishman, who is simply unstoppable form at the minute.
LM: Heung-min Son
Whilst Son has a nightmare in a new role of left wing back at Wembley on Saturday, a more familiar role further up the pitch will mean he is more of a threat on Wednesday.
Before that Chelsea semi-final, Son was in fantastic form and our landlord expects him to recapture that form against Palace.
ST: Harry Kane
The ever impressive Kane will have his work cut out against Palace’s Mamadou Sakho on Wednesday but our landlord expects the English striker to prevail in that challenge.
With three goals in three games since his return from injury and an eye for goal against London based teams, the Spurs fans are expecting big things from their talisman in this one.
