da aposte e ganhe： Tottenham Hotspur will hope to move a step closer to winning their first trophy in a decade when they face Manchester United in the semi-finals of the FA Cup at Wembley on Saturday evening.
da dobrowin： Despite Spurs’ recent high finishes in the Premier League and the progress they have evidently made when it comes to competing with the very best in the Champions League, they still haven’t lifted a trophy since the League Cup in 2008 and manager Mauricio Pochettino will be determined to change that statistic sooner rather than later.
The north London outfit have certainly enjoyed a favourable route to the final four of the competition having beaten two League Two teams – AFC Wimbledon and Newport County – and one League One club – Rochdale – before they beat top flight rivals Swansea City 3-0 in the quarter-finals last month.
Tottenham moved a step closer to Champions League qualification in the Premier League as they drew 1-1 with Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Wednesday night, which has left them five points above nearest rivals Chelsea with four fixtures remaining.
Pochettino chose to rest a number of his key players on the substitutes’ bench for the trip to the south coast, with the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Lucas Moura being given a chance to impress and come into their manager’s thinking for the upcoming encounter at Wembley – a venue that is very familiar to Spurs, whose fans have been quick to have their say on Arsene Wenger’s departure from Arsenal on Twitter.
After leaving some of his important players on the sidelines, the Argentine boss will be considering making a number of changes to his XI against the Red Devils, for whom it is also Jose Mourinho’s last opportunity to win a trophy this term after they missed out in every other competition they were in.
Here is how Tottenham must line up against Man United, ahead of Hugo Lloris in goal…
Pochettino decided to bring Serge Aurier and Toby Alderweireld into the starting line-up against Brighton with Kieran Trippier on the substitutes’ bench and Davinson Sanchez missing out on the 18 altogether, but the Argentine boss must get both back into the XI against Man United on Saturday.
The duo have been part of a relatively settled back five – along with Jan Vertonghen and Ben Davies – for the last six months, and Pochettino shouldn’t disrupt that before such a huge fixture.
While Alderweireld certainly has the quality to keep his place in the team, the contract negotiations mean that he must settle for a spot on the bench.
It was all change for Tottenham in the middle of the park at the Amex Stadium as Moussa Sissoko and Victor Wanyama made rare starts in place of Eric Dier and Mousa Dembele, who were rested on the substitutes’ bench following the 3-1 home defeat by Manchester City at Wembley last weekend.
Pochettino will know how important Dier and Dembele are to his side for this encounter against United – the latter in particular dominated proceedings against the Red Devils at the end of January.
The Argentine boss will be looking for Dier’s defensive power and Dembele’s ability to get out of tight situations and bring the ball forward from midfield on Saturday.
Having left Son Heung-Min on the substitutes’ bench against Man City last weekend, the South Korea international was brought back into the starting XI against Brighton, and he must keep his spot against United given his record in the FA Cup.
The 25-year-old has had a hand in 14 goals in his 15 appearances in the competition, including three goals and three assists this season.
While Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen are also certain starters, Pochettino should look to start Lamela on the right-hand side to try and attack Ashley Young, who still isn’t a natural full-back despite some impressive displays this term.
That means Dele Alli misses out, and it wouldn’t be a huge loss given some of his below-par performances in the last few months.
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