Tottenham predicted lineup vs Nottingham Forest

Tottenham Hotspur travel to Nottingham Forest’s City Ground in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

Dean Saunders was the last player to score a Premier League goal for Forest against Spurs when the Welshman beat Ian Walker in 1997. Tottenham went through the entirety of the 2021/22 campaign without conceding a goal to any of the newly promoted cabal.

Here’s the lineup Antonio Conte may deploy to preserve that parsimonious edge.

GK: Hugo Lloris – The former tennis prodigy idolised Pete Sampras before switching to football.

CB: Davinson Sanchez – The natural replacement for the right-footed Cristian Romero while he recovers from injury.

CB: Eric Dier – If the 28-year-old continues to anchor the backline of a Champions League side with the same authority, Dier must be inching towards a first international appearance since November 2020.

CB: Ben Davies – Seamlessly slotting into Conte’s system, Davies is playing in a position for club and country which “probably gets the best out of me with my best attributes”, by his own assessment.

RWB: Emerson Royal – The “Royal” which adorns Emerson’s shirt is a nickname his aunt gave her nephew because of his habit of crying with his mouth wide open, much like the gawking mascot of the Brazilian jelly brand Royal.

CM: Rodrigo Bentancur – Dubbed the “Revelation of the Year” after breaking through at Boca Juniors in 2015, Bentancur has been an impressive addition since joining Spurs in January.

CM: Pierre Hojbjerg – Since arriving in north London three years ago, Hojbjerg has failed to start just two Premier League games under four different managers.

LWB: Ivan Perisic – Of players that have started at least one Premier League game this season, Perisic has been the most two-footed; taking set pieces on each side and only playing three more right-footed passes than those on his left (per FBref).

RW: Dejan Kulusevski – Such has been the blistering start to his Spurs career – 15 goals and assists in 17 Premier League starts – Kulusevski may have even won over his sister Sandra, who only gave Dejan a “pass” when he scored on his debut for Juventus.

ST: Harry Kane – Brentford are the only Premier League opponent Kane has failed to score against in his top-flight career. Forest will become the 32nd foe he has faced.

LW: Son Heung-min – Last season’s Golden Boot winner has undoubtedly started the season groggily. Son has gone three league games without a goal for the first time since February.