Preview: Leicester City vs Tottenham Hotspur (Covid free?)
Preparing to return to action after a devastating COVID-19 outbreak to meet Leicester City at the King Power on Thursday night must create many problems. For a start, even though we’ve got our team now COVID free (almost), there is still a question mark over fitness. And our next couple of games against Leicester City and Liverpool – who haven’t had to stop – could seriously dent our chances of climbing further up the league table.
As you all know, our most recent clashes with Rennes and Brighton & Hove Albion was postponed; the Foxes put four goals past Newcastle United at the weekend, which doesn’t look good on paper for us. But it is what it is, and we have to carry on regardless.
Match preview
We are not the only Premier League club struggling with several COVID-19 cases in recent weeks, as at least seven Leicester players were ruled out of contention for the visit of Newcastle, and other clubs will be affected before the winter is over. Nevertheless, Leicester will be stronger because they’ve continued playing.
Our coach, Conte, has revealed that eight players and five staff members had contracted COVID-19. There was no chance of the Europa Conference League and Premier League clashes with Rennes or Brighton going ahead as scheduled. And there were doubts over this Thursday’s game and even Sunday’s.
As for our fate in the Europa Conference league, that is in the hands of UEFA. Putting that to one side, we must get back on track in the Premier League and make up for lost time; however, we are still in the top-six mix despite falling two games behind our rivals.
Our last win, over Norwich City, marked our third League win in a row for our manager, and now we occupy an excellent seventh spot in the rankings. Which is just one point behind Arsenal and three behind fourth-placed West Ham United with two games in hand. However, putting our home wins to one side, we haven’t done that well away; on Everton and NS Mura’s turf, we have drawn and lost respectively, in recent weeks, we have won just one of our last five league games on the road – failing to score in each of our previous two.
Last season we won 4-2 at the King Power Stadium to qualify for the Conference League.
Leicester City Premier League form:
DLWDLW
Leicester City form (all competitions):
WWDLLW
Tottenham Hotspur Premier League form:
LLDWWW
Tottenham Hotspur form (all competitions):
WDWLWW
Team News
The Foxes
Jonny Evans lasted six minutes against Newcastle before going off with a hamstring problem, so Boubakary Soumare may be drafted in as an emergency centre-back. Those who have suffered from COVID-19 include Jannik Vestergaard, Ayoze Perez, Ademola Lookman, Daniel Amartey, Kelechi Iheanacho, Hamza Choudhury and Filip Benkovic.
James Justin and Wesley Fofana remain injured for Leicester, and Rodgers may elect to keep Jamie Vardy among the reserves before battles with Everton, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Spurs
The club did not confirm which players tested positive for coronavirus, but Bryan Gil, Emerson Royal, Son, Oliver Skipp, Dane Scarlett and Lucas Moura are among them. We are also without the injured Cristian Romero until 2022, but Sergio Reguilon is expected to be fine despite being injured in the Norwich win.
Harry Winks, Tanguy Ndombele and Steven Bergwijn can earn starts amid our absentee crisis, and there may even be a spot for Dele Alli in the XI.
possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Tanganga, Hojbjerg, Winks, Reguilon; Alli, Bergwijn; Kane
Thoughts and prediction
This is a hard one to call. However, I will bite the bullet and say that we will win by 2 goals. So I’ll go 3-1. Then once we get this game out of the way, we have a leisurely weekend facing Liverpool. If that is easy, we should be crowd League champions now.
Liverpool is our last League game before Santa Clause comes down your chimney (luckily that event only happens once a year… coming down your chimney twice within a year is taking the piss… unless you’ve paid for the extra privilege). However, we do have one home League Cup game left before Santa clause and his elves do damage, and that is against bubble-blowing fanatics who will invade our stadium fanatically dipping their wand (oh! misses!) in a mixture of washing up liquid and water in a round tube and then taking it out, but the said wand to their mouths and blowing. How romantic! Nevertheless, they will be here on the 22nd of December to try to spoil our festive spirits. So, Conte and his team be warned… we don’t want spammers trying to spam our Christmas joy (along with their bubbles) all over our territory.
All the best, Glenn
COYS
My name is Glenn Renshaw.
I am currently a Premium Season Ticket holder (West Stand) in the new stadium. Before that – at White Hart Lane – a season ticket holder in various parts of the ground (mainly in the North stand).
Before becoming a season ticket holder, I stood on the shelf and various other parts of the ground since the 1950s. In 1987 I became one of the first to hold a Spurs Membership card. I was also a life long member of the Spurs supporters club (now defunct).
I go to all home, away and abroad matches.
I was born in 1955, Edgware, London (it was in the late 50s – as a baby – that my dad took me to Spurs to initiate me). I currently live in Berkshire.
I also collect all Spurs books (and have everyone printed), Spurs handbooks (from 1920s onwards, Spurs programmes (since the 40s).
Previously, I wrote for Spurs Fanzines: The Spur, Spur of the Moment, My Eyes have seen the Glory and various other Spurs fanzines’. I also wrote for the SpursWeb app & its website.
I currently write and work for spursnetwork.com and its website. I write its Reviews & Match reports and a lot more.
My other interests are; reading, history, social history, Politics, going to the gym, wine, going out for a meal, music (all sorts), writing, theatre, concerts, going on holidays, socialising etc.
I have been writing blogs/ articles since 1989
If you wish to read more of my blog, please click “here”
Great post your a very learned Tottenham man
Thank you… and Merry Christmas.