Everton make the journey from Merseyside to London, as the race for the top four heats up as Tottenham host The Toffees at White Hart Lane. The first half of the season has seen them shock many and are still truly challengers for the Champions places and despite their recent 4-0 loss in the Merseyside derby, which was only their third loss of the season, they have bounced back well securing a positive 2-1 victory against Aston Villa last Saturday.
Tottenham meanwhile will be hoping that this can act as a boost, as they attempt to kick start their Champions league chase, after stuttering in recent weeks coming in the way of 1-5 and 1-1 matches against Manchester City and Hull City respectively. A victory for Spurs will see them leapfrog Everton in the Premier league table into 5th.
Key Man- James McCarthy:
Since his big money move from Wigan in the summer, following in the footsteps of Roberto Martinez and many of his team mates, James McCarthy has been the engine in the Everton midfield. Whilst Romelu Lukaku, Kevin Mirallas and Ross Barkley take all the main headlines, McCarthy is the man who dictates the tempo in midfield, forming a strong partnership deep in the Everton line alongside Gareth Barry. If McCarthy plays well on Sunday, Tottenham will have something to worry about.
Key Man- Andros Townsend:
The English winger shot into the limelight earlier this season, with his Tottenham form earning his a place in Roy Hodgsons England side, in which he played two matches and was the standout performer in both. Since, a mixture of poor form and an injury has seen him drop off, but he has recovered from injury to boost Tim Sherwood’s men for this crucial fixture.
Team news:
Tottenham continue to have players returning from injury, as Jan Vertonghen is joined by fellow centre half, Younes Kaboul as both made their return to the first team squad during last week’s 1-1 draw with Hull. Andros Townsend and Moussa Dembele are both expected to be involved in some capacity against Everton, whilst the trio of Sandro, Erik Lamela and Vlad Chiriches are all expected to miss out.
Everton meanwhile are also boosted by the return of Spanish winger, Gerard Deulofeu and Ivory Coast striker, Lacina Traore for the match in the capital. Defender Seamus Coleman has also been passed fit and is expected to start, although centre half, Antolin Alcarez and star forward, Romelu Lukaku have both been ruled out.
Predicted Line-up:
Lloris
Walker---Dawson---Vertonghen---Rose
Lennon---Bentaleb---Paulinho---Eriksen
Adebayor---Soldado
I predict that Soldado will keep his place in the line-up, as Tim Sherwood publicly backed him to rediscover his goal scoring prowess. Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen has stated that he is happy to play anywhere on the pitch, as long as it’s for Tottenham, therefore he may be expected to occupy the wide left position again. I predict Tottenham will sense the importance of this fixture and will turn on the style. I think we’ll win 2-1, but don’t worry ladies and gentleman; it’ll be a nail biter!
Source: DSG
