Tottenham troubles
Tottenham Hotspur’s home 1-1 draw against Sunderland followed a familiar pattern for Thomas Frank’s team this season, adding to the sense of frustration around the North London club.
After taking the lead, Spurs invited pressure on to themselves, making Sunderland’s second half equaliser an inevitability. It was another indicator of Frank’s failure to forge a team capable of playing on the front foot for 90 minutes.
Bournemouth are experiencing troubles of their own. The Cherries are without a win in their last 11 league games and have conceded 14 goals in their last five outings. Andoni Iraola must find a way to tighten things up.
Not so long ago, Frank and Iraola were both considered among the best managers in the Premier League. Now, they are under pressure to turn around the fortunes of their respective sides.
Key players
Ireola insists Antoine Semenyo will feature against Tottenham despite the Ghanaian being on the verge of a £65m transfer to Manchester City. Semenyo is Bournemouth’s top scorer this season and will be a threat in attacking transition should he play.
Evanilson found the back of the net against Arsenal on Saturday and will lead the line for Iraola’s team once more on Wednesday. Only Semenyo has a higher Expected Goals (xG) than the Brazilian forward this term.
Alex Scott and Marcus Tavernier will start in central midfield with Justin Kluivert ahead of them in a free role behind the forward line. Tavernier has created 26 chances in total this season, highlighting his creative threat.
Richarlison has scored seven goals in 20 league outings and is at his best when he is a chaos merchant in the opposition box. His erratic finishing, however, can be an issue.
As can Tottenham’s lack of creativity in possession. Archie Gray and João Palhinha are expected to start in central midfield – the pair have created just one Big Chance between them this season.
Xavi Simons could return for the visitors after seeing red against Liverpool. The Dutch international was starting to find his feet for Spurs before his suspension and has been missed in recent matches.
Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven are top-level central defenders on their day, but have struggled to find their best form this season, like so many Tottenham Hotspur players.
Team news
Tyler Adams is still sidelined through injury for Bournemouth and will be a big miss in the centre of the pitch for the hosts on Wednesday. Ben Gannon-Doak and Veljko Milosavljević are also unavailable for the Cherries.
Tottenham’s injury list remains a lengthy one with James Maddison, Dominic Solanke, Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma and Destiny Udogie all stuck in the treatment room.
Mohammed Kudus is a doubt after limping off with a knock against Sunderland. In better news for Spurs, as mentioned, Simons is back from a three-game suspension and is expected to come back into the starting lineup.
Prediction
For all the concern among Spurs supporters, their side remain the second best on the road in the Premier League this season, so with them, and Bournemouth desperate for a result, we’ll go for a draw. A scoreline that doesn’t really suit anyone: Bournemouth 1-1 Tottenham.
(Cover image from IMAGO)