The 2024/25 Premier League season is finally upon us, but Tottenham Hotspur fans will need to be patient as their team is the last to take the field this opening weekend, with a match against Leicester City on Monday.
Ange Postecoglou’s side will be eager to start the campaign on the right foot, building on a promising pre-season where they secured victories in most of their games, barring the encounters with Bayern Munich.
This opening match against Leicester is crucial for Spurs to establish momentum for a season filled with high expectations from the fans. So, how might Postecoglou set up his team for this significant fixture?
Firstly, there’s little mystery surrounding the formation Postecoglou will employ or who will be between the posts. Guglielmo Vicario is expected to start in goal in the manager’s favored 4-2-3-1 setup.
In defense, we’re likely to see a back four featuring Pedro Porro on the right, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven as the central pair, and Destiny Udogie on the left. If Udogie isn’t ready to start, van de Ven could shift to left-back with Dragusin stepping in centrally, or we might even see Djed Spence fill in on the left.
Yves Bissouma is set to miss the Leicester match due to a disciplinary issue, paving the way for Pape Matar Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur to anchor the midfield. However, don’t be surprised if Postecoglou opts to start young Archie Gray instead of Bentancur after his standout performances in pre-season. We believe the manager might lean in that direction.
James Maddison is locked in for the #10 role, while captain Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski are expected to start on the left and right wings, respectively. Up front, new signing Dominic Solanke could be thrust straight into action against the Foxes.
If Gray doesn’t start, he’s almost certain to feature off the bench, along with Solanke if he doesn’t start. Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner are also likely to get some minutes.
Setting the tone with a strong performance in the first game is vital, and Spurs will be aiming to overcome newly-promoted Leicester and kick off their season with a win.
