90min

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest - Premier League

By Grey Whitebloom

Under Antonio Conte, Tottenham didn't concede a goal against a newly promoted side last season (W4 D1)
Under Antonio Conte, Tottenham didn't concede a goal against a newly promoted side last season (W4 D1) / Clive Mason/GettyImages
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Tottenham Hotspur travel to Nottingham Forest's City Ground in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Saunders was the last player to score a Premier League goal for Forest against Spurs when the Welshman beat Ian Walker in 1997. Tottenham went through the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign without conceding a goal to any of the newly promoted cabal.

Here's the lineup Antonio Conte may deploy to preserve that parsimonious edge.

Tottenham predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest (3-4-3)

1. Tottenham XI

GK: Hugo Lloris - The former tennis prodigy idolised Pete Sampras before switching to football.

CB: Davinson Sanchez - The natural replacement for the right-footed Cristian Romero while he recovers from injury.

CB: Eric Dier - If the 28-year-old continues to anchor the backline of a Champions League side with the same authority, Dier must be inching towards a first international appearance since November 2020.

CB: Ben Davies - Seamlessly slotting into Conte's system, Davies is playing in a position for club and country which "probably gets the best out of me with my best attributes", by his own assessment.

RWB: Emerson Royal - The "Royal" which adorns Emerson's shirt is a nickname his aunt gave her nephew because of his habit of crying with his mouth wide open, much like the gawking mascot of the Brazilian jelly brand Royal.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - Dubbed the "Revelation of the Year" after breaking through at Boca Juniors in 2015, Bentancur has been an impressive addition since joining Spurs in January.

CM: Pierre Hojbjerg - Since arriving in north London three years ago, Hojbjerg has failed to start just two Premier League games under four different managers.

LWB: Ivan Perisic - Of players that have started at least one Premier League game this season, Perisic has been the most two-footed; taking set pieces on each side and only playing three more right-footed passes than those on his left (per FBref).

RW: Dejan Kulusevski - Such has been the blistering start to his Spurs career - 15 goals and assists in 17 Premier League starts - Kulusevski may have even won over his sister Sandra, who only gave Dejan a "pass" when he scored on his debut for Juventus.

ST: Harry Kane - Brentford are the only Premier League opponent Kane has failed to score against in his top-flight career. Forest will become the 32nd foe he has faced.

LW: Son Heung-min - Last season's Golden Boot winner has undoubtedly started the season groggily. Son has gone three league games without a goal for the first time since February.

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