With Atletico Madrid next for Tottenham after securing a vital point against Liverpool at Anfield, we have named the Spurs XI we are desperate to see as Igor Tudor’s side aim to turn the Champions League round-of-16 second leg on its head.
Tottenham Hotspur have a big task on their hands as they look to overcome a three-goal deficit when they take to the pitch against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League round of 16 tie.
Spurs were well beaten in the first leg as they struggled to contain a rampant Atleti side, who found themselves three goals up in 16 minutes and four up in 30 minutes.
However, Tottenham’s two goals at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium offer a bit of hope for a comeback when Diego Simeone’s men come visiting Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday night.
But if Spurs are to turn this tie on its head, Igor Tudor must get his team selection right, and now we have named the starting XI we want to see when Spurs take to the field against Atletico Madrid.
Igor Tudor must stick to 4-4-2 wide Tottenham system against Atletico Madrid
Tottenham did put in one of their better performances under Igor Tudor when they faced Liverpool on Sunday evening.
In that match-up, Tudor reverted to a back four and looked to stretch the pitch with wide men, as opposed to his usual 3-4-2-1 narrow system.
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We do want to see a similar setup on Wednesday night from Tottenham. Igor Tudor must attempt to stretch the pitch against an Atleti side that will try to stay as compact as possible.
That will involve fielding a back four once more, with two wing-backs that can offer width for Spurs, who will need to be aggressive in their attacking play.
With Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha big doubts for this one, it does feel that Tudor might fancy going with that back-four system, although Micky van de Ven’s presence could see the return of a back three.
But what we do expect to see is a Kevin Danso and Micky van de Ven pairing alongside Djed Spence and Pedro Porro as left and right-backs, respectively.
In Tottenham’s midfield, Tudor will once more have to turn to the young and energetic pairing of Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray.
Injuries to Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher and Yves Bissouma almost allow the midfield to pick itself. The pair did put in a big shift against Liverpool, covering almost every blade of grass on the pitch.
Spurs attack selection against Atletico Madrid
Tudor already admitted that his hands were forced tactically against Liverpool as he had to make several changes because of injuries.
Against the Reds, we saw Souza deployed on the right of midfield and, to the youngster’s credit, it was a solid performance, one he could very much build on.
Unfortunately, even though Spurs have no right-wingers available, Souza is ineligible for the Champions League. We would love to see Olusesi get a chance from the start.
Mathys Tel should offer some attacking threat on the left, while the forward line should be both Richarlison and Dominic Solanke, who stand as Spurs’ biggest goal threat.
In all, this is the lineup we expect to see against Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the Champions League round of 16 tie: