Tottenham Hotspur take on Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday looking to build on a rare home win in the Champions League, with Thomas Frank being tipped to switch formation and also make four changes to his side.
Spurs were desperate to record a home victory and put on a strong performance after their listless display against London rivals Chelsea last time out, and, for the most part, they did just that to dispatch Danish side Copenhagen 4-0.
Goals from Brennan Johnson, who also saw red early in the second-half, Wilson Odobert, a remarkable Micky van de Ven solo effort and Joao Palhinha gave the home fans something to cheer about for once.
However, the focus now switches to United, and there are rumours circulating that Frank is ready to change up his formation and move to a back three for the first time since the Super Cup penalty shoot-out defeat to PSG back in August.
The Dane was notorious for changing up his formations while at Brentford but has been fairly rigid with his 4-3-3 at Tottenham so far.
That could all change against Ruben Amorim’s side, who also operate with three at the back, and it could unleash a marauding Van de Ven even more after his heroics on Tuesday evening.
United will still have memories of what the Dutch centre-back did to them last season at Old Trafford when his unstoppable burst from the back ended up with an assist for an early Johnson goal.
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Danso slots into back three
The Austrian defender was unlucky to be dropped from the starting XI against Copenhagen after performing well in Romero’s absence, but there was never any doubt that the Argentine World Cup winner would return when available.
Having Danso in the team, however, means Tottenham also have the added bonus of his long-throw weapon, while defensively it gives Frank another big body to cope with United’s set-piece threat.
Danso lines up on the right, with Romero central and Van de Ven able to burst out from the back in the left-sided berth.
The wing-backs are likely to be Pedro Porro and Djed Spence, with Destiny Udogie dropping back to the bench after playing 73 minutes on his return from injury in midweek.
Palhinha returns as Bentancur drops out
Rodrigo Bentancur is due a break after starting the last 12 games, amid fears over fatigue, although there is an argument for the Uruguay star to go again after his impressive performance against Copenhagen in midweek.
Joao Palhinha is a straight swap in that regard and will start alongside Pape Sarr in the heart of the Spurs engine room.
It’s only likely that Lucas Bergvall will be involved as he continues with the concussion protocols, while Archie Gray remains out wth a groin issue.
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Kolo Muani gets the nod in attack
Despite missing a couple of sitters on Tuesday night, Kolo Muani was a lively presence through the middle and it feels like only a matter of time before the France international starts to register on the stats sheet.
With Frank playing wing-backs, it means Mohammed Kudus, should he recover from his knock, and Xavi Simons will have more roaming roles in and around Kolo Muani.
Spurs finally showed some attacking flair at home in the win over Copenhagen and will look to carry that on against a United side that are finally showing some consistency under Amorim.