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Tottenham Hotspur could move into fourth place in the Premier League with a win over this evening’s opponents Liverpool as they welcome the defending champions to north London.

Spurs head into the encounter somewhat shrouded in mystery after Jose Mourinho hinted at injury troubles and refused to name which of players were struggling.

Although, the Evening Standard report that Sergio Reguilon has been ruled out for ‘around three weeks’ while Ben Davies is a doubt to face the Reds after being forced off in injury-time during their 4-1 win over Wycombe in the FA Cup on Monday.

It gives the Portuguese boss plenty to ponder going into such a crucial game. Liverpool have injury problems of their own and have failed to win in five straight league outings.

So with that in mind, what sort of XI could we see at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight?

Here’s the lineup we’re predicting…

With league duties resuming, we’re likely to see club captain Hugo Lloris return between the sticks, taking over from cup-keeper and current back-up, Joe Hart.

Mourinho could turn to a back three as he has done in recent matches against Sheffield United and Wolves in order to combat the firepower on offer for the opposition.

The Spurs boss is without Reguilon while Davies may not be risked if he’s not passed fit to feature, meaning we may see Japhet Tanganga deployed on the left for only the fourth time in his career.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-this-weeks-latest-spurs-news-and-transfer-rumours” title= Read this week’s latest Spurs news, transfer rumours and more…”]

He was deployed in the role against Man City last season and helped keep a clean sheet. His debut even came against Liverpool, though on the other flank, and resulted in praise from the visiting boss, Jurgen Klopp. He said (via football.london):

“He played well. It was nice when the crowd cheered his name. It was his first Premier League game? Very impressive.”

Eric Dier and Joe Rodon could return to partner Toby Alderweireld, meaning once £42m club-record man Davinson Sanchez is axed whilst on the right, Serge Aurier comes back in after a bout of illness. He only made the bench on Monday.

Matt Doherty, like Davies, is a doubt too.

After it worked so well up at Bramall Lane, we could see that Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg partnership in the middle continue to thrive, especially after the 90-minute shift Moussa Sissoko put in against Wycombe, playing both in central midfield and then at right-back.

As a result, The Frenchman is dropped while fellow midfield ace Harry Winks, now valued at €40m (£36m) by CIES, also faces the axe.

Mourinho had to call upon Harry Kane and Heung-min Son to get the job done in the FA Cup and both will start here this evening.

Steven Bergwijn was well-rested and is also in contention to start over Gareth Bale and Lucas Moura, who both played over an hour on Monday.

It means there could be a total of nine changes with Carlos Vinicius and Erik Lamela also dropping to the bench.

AND in other news, Here’s how Levy struck gold with this Spurs summer transfer deal…

Southampton return to Premier League action on Saturday evening as they host Aston Villa at St Mary’s.

Both sides have impressed in the top-flight so far this season and have spent time in the top-four spots, so it will be an interesting battle between two confident sides on the south coast.

Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side will be looking to bounce back from their 3-1 defeat against Arsenal in midweek, whereas Dean Smith’s side also suffered defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor.

The Austrian manager is starting to welcome back some of his regular first-team starters from injury, which suggests that changes could be likely ahead of the game against Villa.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Hasenhuttl to line his side up on Saturday evening, with three changes from the side that started against Arsenal…

Alex McCarthy keeps his place in goal, despite arguably not being at his best against Arsenal in midweek.

There are two changes in the Saints defence, as Ryan Bertrand returns from suspension and replaces young Jake Vokins, who completed a loan move to League One side Sunderland earlier this week.

Jack Stephens and Jan Bednarek continue their partnership in defence, whilst Ibrahima Diallo could drop into right-back to replace Yan Valery after he struggled against the Gunners, with Hasenhuttl showing that he is willing to play the defensive-midfielder as a full-back after he replaced Vokins at left-back in midweek.

This also allows the fit-again Oriol Romeu to return in central-midfield alongside James Ward-Prowse, in what is undoubtedly a big boost for the Saints.

The final change sees Nathan Redmond start on the left-hand side to replace Theo Walcott, with the former Arsenal man having struggled in recent weeks.

This leaves Che Adams and Danny Ings to start up top, and they will be hoping for a repeat performance from earlier in the season when the Saints impressively won 4-3 at Villa Park.

And, in other news… Forget Williams: Semmens must complete swoop for £35k-p/w gem; he’d be a great signing

Former Aberdeen striker Noel Whelan believes that Bongani Zungu will be “absolutely gone” from the club after betraying manager Steven Gerrard’s trust.

Zungu out?

Reports last week revealed that five Gers players, now known as the “party five” were in breach of coronavirus pandemic protocols after attending a house party in the early hours last Sunday.

Zungu, currently on a season-long loan from Ligue 1 side Amiens, was accompanied by Nathan Patterson, Calvin Bassey, Dapo Mebude and academy goalkeeper Brian Kinnear, to which the police attended the incident and handed each of them fixed penalty notices (via Goal).

Gerrard reacted by saying he felt “personally let-down” by the events and Zungu was dropped for their Europa League clash against Royal Antwerp during mid-week.

Speaking to Football Insider, Whelan is convinced that Zungu’s time will be dramatically cut short on the foundations of faith.

“He’s already gone, absolutely gone – there’s no way you’re going to be signing a player like that if you can’t trust them.

“The biggest word in everyone, in any manager, is can I trust my players on the pitch? Can I trust them off the pitch? Can I trust them to be the right character that needs to be embedded into this football club?

“The straight answer there is absolutely not.

“Whether these other four end up playing again for Rangers, that remains to be seen. I very much doubt it, because I think once you cross that line, it’s very difficult to come back from it.

“It brings shame on the club, onto the manager as well and the rest of the players. It shows a lack of respect and disrespect to them.”

Transfer Tavern Verdict

Gerrard has never sugarcoated his words to the press – nor has he not backed up what he has promised. This could indicate that Whelan might be right.

Zungu was hugely irresponsible – as were the other four players involved. While there have been similar incidents elsewhere in the Scottish Premiership, there is still no excuse.

Time will tell whether Gerrard decides to take any further action, and if so, whether it could mean that Zungu will return to France or even have his loan cut short.

In other news, find out which Gers man is attracting Premier League interest here!

According to Football Insider, Crystal Palace defender Patrick van Aanholt has held initial talks over a pre-contract move to an unnamed Champions League club this summer.

What’s the word?

Van Aanholt has remained coy despite intense scrutiny over his future amid interest from Premier League giants Arsenal.

The 30-year-old’s contract is set to expire at the end of this season, whilst talks have reportedly broken down between the club and his representatives, which has paved the way for him to leave the club for free when the transfer window opens in just a few months time.

Previous reports had suggested that Ajax were preparing a move for the former Chelsea fullback in the January transfer window but a move failed to materialise.

And now, Football Insider claim that his agent has entered negotiations with an unnamed club over a possible summer move.

Good news for Tyrick Mitchell?

Should Van Aanholt depart Selhurst Park this summer, his exit would clear the way for Tyrick Mitchell to establish himself as the undisputed first-choice left-back at the club.

Both players have been jostling for position in Hodgson’s starting XI this season following Mitchell’s emergence in the first team with varied levels of success.

Mitchell, 21, has played 13 games in the Premier League this season thus far, having started the last-gasp 2-1 victory over Brighton, whereas Van Aanholt, who is nine years his senior, has made 14 top-flight appearances in total this term.

Despite his age, the highly-touted prospect has already established himself as a fan favourite in such a short space of time for his all-round capabilities, earning high praise from The Athletic’s Matt Woosnam in the process, who previously described him as a ‘silent assassin.’

Meanwhile, a WhoScored match rating of 6.61 sees him ranked eighth in terms of the entire Palace squad, having stepped up to the plate in Van Aanholt’s absence. For context, that’s nine places higher than the Dutchman, which suggests that he has been performing at a higher level than his teammate.

The stats indicate that he has been doing just that too – he is currently averaging more tackles (3.6) and more clearances (2.5) while he commits fewer fouls than the veteran.

With Van Aanholt out of the picture, it could present Mitchell – who is currently valued at £4.5m via Transfermarkt – with the perfect opportunity to cement himself as Palace’s starting left-back for years to come.

AND in other news, Crystal Palace suffer significant injury setback with Roy Hodgson unsure when Wilfried Zaha will return…

Nottingham Forest lost only their second league match in their last nine games on Tuesday evening, as they fell to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Luton Town.

The loss came courtesy of a 64th minute goal from Hatters’ midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe but the outcome could have been a lot different had Glenn Murray not turned in a shocking performance at the City Ground.

The former Brighton and Hove Albion striker played the full 90 minutes for Forest, earning the lowest WhoScored rating of the entire home side’s starting XI; just 6.06.

Throughout the game, Chris Hughton’s men managed to create a number of chances, taking 19 shots in all, with Murray providing six of those. However, he only managed to hit the target once with those attempts.

Despite winning five aerial duels, Murray’s all-round play flattered to deceive and was a huge factor behind the hosts losing the game.

Only substitutes Sammy Ameobi, Lyle Taylor and Alex Mighten had fewer touches than the striker’s 32.

Even when he did receive the ball, the 37-year-old was simply not able to do anything with it.

He could only produce a poor pass accuracy of 46.7%, which is worse than Luton goalkeeper Simo Sluga’s rate of 48.2%. It all meant that he could only complete a shocking 15 passes throughout the 90 minutes.

His poor showing did not end there though, with Murray racking up six unsuccessful touches in the game – more than any other player on the pitch.

With Forest reportedly paying the hitman as much as £30,000 per week in wages, it would be fair to assume that they were expecting a lot more from the former Premier League striker.

He will certainly have to improve upon his dire performance against Luton if he is to remain in the Forest starting XI under Chris Hughton.

AND in other news, take a look at how we evaluated Anthony Knockaert’s performance against Derby County last week…

Dean Windass has exclusively told Football FanCast that Sheffield United should stick with Chris Wilder despite their expected relegation.

The Blades have improved since the turn of the year, winning four of their previous 11 Premier League matches, stark contrast from failing to taste victory in their opening 17 fixtures.

But the Bramall Lane outfit are still 12 points from safety with 10 left to play, and would therefore need an astonishing end to the campaign in order to retain their Premier League status.

Wilder has taken Sheffield United from midtable in League One to on the cusp of European football in the space of four seasons, but might now be tasked with taking his boyhood club back up next season.

And Windass thinks that the Blades hierarchy shouldn’t consider sacking him should they get relegated.

He told Football FanCast:

“One million percent you have got to keep him, he’s got Sheffield United in his blood. It’s been a case of second season syndrome as I call it. You’ve got to keep him, he’ll be planning for next season.

“But for sure he’s the right man for the job. You have got to keep him, like Norwich kept Daniel Farke and they’re top of the league and look like they’re going back up.”

It’s impossible to disagree with Windass here. Wilder has done an exceptional job to get Sheffield United into the Premier League, let alone keep them there and push for Europe, so he at least deserves the chance to turn things around.

West Bromwich Albion fans were far from happy with the performance of Matt Phillips during their clash with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

The Baggies dropped yet more points to the Eagles in what was another blow to the Midlands outfit’s chances of survival, after Luka Milivojevic scored the opening goal of the game from the penalty spot. West Brom will now likely need at least three wins from their remaining nine matches to even have a chance of reaching safety (Sky Sports) – they are running out of opportunities to pick up points.

On the right side of the midfield, Phillips was particularly disappointing. He prevailed in just four of his ten duels (SofaScore) and was generally far too wasteful throughout the game. Sam Allardyce will have a decision to make in regards to keeping him in the side between now and the rest of the term.

The fans were livid at his showing, and they took to social media platform Twitter to share their thoughts.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about Phillips below

“I have said for years, i don’t see what he offers at all.”

Credit: @htimsAJ

“How does he keep getting picked?”

Credit: @JohnTheBagtist

“Awful from Phillips no quality when it counts.”

Credit: @BiffyBoy1982

“Phillips’ lack of quality is painfully obvious these days. Needs to come off for Snodgrass.”

Credit: @thejonreeve

“Two guilt edged chances in two weeks for Phillips that he scuffed. Been a poor player for us for a long time. Work hard merchant”

Credit: @TheRainbowStand

“Sam there’s a Matt Phillips on the pitch that needs to come off”

Credit: @LJAFinn

In other news, this man discusses his move the Hawthorns.

Phil Hay has singled out four players at Leeds United for praise in their 0-0 home draw with Chelsea in the Premier League at Saturday lunchtime.

As per a tweet from The Athletic journalist, he thought that Diego Llorente, Kalvin Phillips, Pascal Struijk and Tyler Roberts were all ‘impressive’ against Thomas Tuchel’s team.

Leeds impress defensively

Considering the form of the Blues going into the game, Marcelo Bielsa’s side certainly did well to keep them at bay at Elland Road.

Leeds’ two central defenders and central midfield players were vital in making sure that the ball did not hit the back of their net, with Llorente making the most clearances (three) out of any Whites player to have set foot on the pitch, while each of the other players recorded at least one (Sofascore).

Struijk blocked no fewer than three shots on his goal, more than any other Leeds players combined, while he also made three interceptions, as Phillips topped the tackling stats with four in total (Sofascore).

Each player did their bit own individual jobs for the team and, as a collective, they were pivotal in making sure that the Yorkshire club came away from the match with a point and a clean sheet.

In other news, find out which player’s Leeds career Hay claims is ‘over’.

Many Glasgow Rangers fans are far from happy with a tweet from Slavia Prague in the aftermath of the Glen Kamara racism row.

Slavia knocked the Gers out of the Europa League on Thursday after winning 2-0 at Ibrox. They were the better team over the two legs in their round of 16 clash, but their progress was marred by a racism row, with Kamara accusing Ondrej Kudela of the crime towards the end of the 90 minutes.

Slavia have since vehemently denied the allegations, even suggesting that Kamara hit Kudela on the back of the head (slavia.cz). The Czech club has now taken to Twitter to post a rather ironic tweet. On Sunday, it was the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Czech champions shared a video of their players saying no to racism.

The clip appeared on both their Czech and English Twitter accounts, and unsurprisingly it attracted plenty of attention from Gers supporters. These fans took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on Slavia’s tweet.

Let’s see what the Rangers fans had to say below

“Obviously an attempt at damage limitation @slavia_eng . Embarrassing and absolutely pathetic!”

Credit: @Gilmourfella

“Digging the hole deeper by the day”

Credit: @SingyGBP1

“The irony of this club is unbelievable!!!!!”

Credit: @athomson71

“Doing everything they can not to get booted out”

Credit: @ThomasGillies1

“Too late. Say no to racism. Uefa to throw the book at you.”

Credit: @keithsp96712045

“You kidding?”

Credit: @islaadarlin

In other news, many Rangers fans slam this BBC pundit’s comments.

Farhad Moshiri should block any efforts by Carlo Ancelotti and Marcel Brands to revive their interest in Everton signing Manchester United right-back Diogo Dalot.

What’s the word?

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Toffees are expected to revive their interest in the 22-year-old for a third consecutive summer after two failed bids.

Blues manager Ancelotti is on the hunt for his long-term heir to Seamus Coleman, and has Dalot, Norwich City’s Max Aarons and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Tariq Lamptey on his shortlist.

Ancelotti is thought to be prioritising a full-back who can offer an aerial presence at both ends of the pitch, a box which the 6ft Portuguese defender would be expected to tick but 5 ft 4 Lamptey would not.

Everton have targeted Dalot in each of the previous two summer markets and felt they had struck an agreement to sign the 22-year-old on loan last year, only for Manchester United to pull out to avoid strengthening a rival.

He instead joined AC Milan for the season and is happy in Italy, but has had limited game-time under Stefano Pioli. The former Portugal under-21 international has only started eight of his 12 Serie A appearances to date.

His most consistent run in the Milan side has come in the Europa League with eight starts from 10, having featured evenly on either side of Pioli’s defence en route to elimination in the round of 16 at the hands of his parent club.

Dalot’s versatility is said to stand out to Ancelotti, while director of football Brands was in agreement with the Italian and his predecessor Marco Silva over a move for the FC Porto product in 2020 and 2019.

Should Everton sign Man Utd’s Dalot?

Manchester United’s position on the future of Dalot remains to be seen, as the Old Trafford natives may once again fear strengthening Everton after seeing the Blues provide a threat to the Premier League’s top four places this term.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also revealed earlier this month that he is “looking forward” to working with Dalot in the 2021/22 campaign, having proven his fitness during what the Red Devils boss has described as a “good year” at the San Siro.

Solskjaer never felt that Dalot could consistently stay fit due to injuries at Old Trafford, where he fell behind Aaron Wan-Bissaka in the pecking order following a £19m move from Porto in 2018.

Jose Mourinho was at the helm at the time of Dalot’s arrival and lauded the then-19-year-old as the “best young full-back in Europe,” but he has not kicked on to become an established first team player at either Manchester United or AC Milan since.

Rossoneri boss Pioli publicly rates the Portuguese right-back highly, noting recently: “He will become a complete player.” However, that backing has not been replicated on the pitch, where his performances have barely bettered the efforts of Mason Holgate.

Ancelotti has called on Holgate to play more Premier League games (12) at right-back than any other Everton player this season, and seen the natural centre-half win 1.6 of 2.4 aerial duels while delivering 0.3 accurate crosses from 1.6 deliveries per game from the role, per WhoScored.

Dalot has made just four of his 12 Serie A appearances for the season from right-back, where he has won on average 1.3 of 2.3 aerial duels and provided 0.5 accurate crosses from three deliveries per game.

Given that the 22-year-old is a natural right-back while Holgate is a centre-half, the £34,000-per-week defender would be expected to outperform the Everton man in the role to a much higher standard. Instead, he rarely features in his favoured position and may even struggle to oust the Englishman at Goodison Park.

With Dalot under contract at Old Trafford for a further two years, Manchester United may strive to recoup as much of the £19m paid to Porto, making it a no-brainer for Moshiri to block Ancelotti and Brands from reviving their efforts to take him to Everton.

AND in other news, Everton dodged a £13m bullet in a “remarkable” talent as the hype falls silent…