Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank has been spending time at Hotspur Way contemplating whether to make a host of alterations to his starting line-up ahead of hosting Danish giants Copenhagen in a Champions League clash on Tuesday after being forced to contend with a derby defeat to rivals Chelsea last weekend.
Spurs' return to Europe's elite club competition has not been easy as, despite claiming a narrow victory over Villarreal in their opening fixture, they have been restricted to a further two points thanks to coming from behind to draw against Bodo/Glimt and only leaving Monaco with a share of the spoils following an inspired performance from Guglielmo Vicario.
Copenhagen, under boss Jacob Neestrup, are still searching for their first win of the league phase after having to negotiate the play-offs to clinch their place in this term's Champions League. GIVEMESPORT has predicted who is on course to be involved when Tottenham and their visitors lock horns.
Tottenham Team News
Tottenham will be without a host of options for their encounter with Copenhagen, including Lucas Bergvall as concussion protocols mean he cannot be involved after being forced off early in the defeat to Chelsea last weekend, while Djed Spence and Mohammed Kudus are racing to prove their fitness after suffering minor issues.
Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie have returned from injury, with both coming off the bench last time out, and they are fighting to break into the starting line-up. But Archie Gray is still out with a calf issue, while the likes of Radu Dragusin, James Maddison, Yves Bissouma, Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke have not been available for a prolonged period. Mathys Tel is ineligible.
Frank, speaking in his pre-match press conference, has confirmed that Bergvall is not in contention to feature against Copenhagen. The Danish tactician is waiting to discover whether Kudus and Spence have made a full recovery from their respective injuries. He said:
"Lucas [Bergvall] got concussion, which was pretty obvious from the footage. We have to give praise to the medical team because it is a tricky situation to be in. So well done to them because the players' health is the most important thing. Djed [Spence] and Mo [Kudus] got a knock - they could and should be available tomorrow."
Tottenham Predicted XI
Tottenham Predicted XI: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Bentancur; Kudus, Simons, Odobert; Richarlison.
Tottenham Predicted Substitutes: Kinsky (GK), Austin (GK), Danso (DEF), Udogie (DEF), Hardy (DEF), Byfield (DEF), Sarr (MID), Olusesi (MID), Johnson (FWD), Kolo Muani (FWD), Scarlett (FWD), Williams-Barnett (FWD).
Copenhagen Team News
Copenhagen have confirmed that 20 squad members boarded the flight to London, ahead of their meeting with Tottenham, but Magnus Mattsson, Rodrigo Huescas, Oliver Hojer, Thomas Delaney and Birger Meling were not among them as they are on the sidelines nursing injuries.
Although Marcos Lopez is poised to be involved in the matchday squad, the full-back is in a race against time to prove his fitness after he was forced off during the Danish Superliga victory over FC Fredericia last weekend. Gabriel Pereira has also been struggling with illness, but is expected to be named among the substitutes.
Neestrup, speaking in his pre-match press conference, admitted that he will be taking no risks when it comes to picking his side to start against Tottenham. The Copenhagen boss said:
"I do need to rotate. We won't play anybody who we are in doubt of. With the players coming in, we're taking no chance with anybody. We will play with a team that is the strongest and can compete the most."
Copenhagen Predicted XI