90min
·26 Januari 2025
90min
·26 Januari 2025
Two struggling Premier League teams meet in north London on Sunday afternoon as Tottenham host Leicester.
While the Foxes were always projected to slog their way through 2024/25 having lost manager Enzo Maresca after returning to the top flight, only Arsenal supporters might've predicted Spurs to be 15th in the table through 22 games.
Ange Postecoglou's league campaign has been undermined by an abundance of key injuries, but their success in the cups has offered the Australian manager enough respite. They held on to claim a 3-2 win over Hoffenheim in the Europa League on Thursday but they remain without a Premier League victory since mid-December.
Leicester are in similarly dire league form. They've lost their last seven under Ruud van Nistelrooy and questions have already surfaced regarding the Dutchman's future after he replaced Steve Cooper in November.
The visitors are 19th in the table and have claimed just five points from their ten league games on the road.
Here's 90min's guide to Sunday's Premier League clash.
Dominic Solanke is out until March / Justin Setterfield/GettyImages
Postecoglou has confirmed Dominic Solanke will spend the next six weeks on the sidelines due to a knee injury, so Tottenham desperately need Richarlison to stay fit. The Brazilian will likely lead the line again on Sunday.
Yves Bissouma and Djed Spence are both doubts, while the extent of Pape Sarr's recent setback is unknown.
With Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Wilson Odobert, Timo Werner, Brennan Johnson, Destiny Udogie, and Guglielmo Vicario all out of action, there aren't expected to be many changes to the team that started against Hoffenheim on Thursday. Spence and Antonin Kinsky could come in.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Leicester (4-3-3): Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Spence; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Son.
Wilfred Ndidi is back in Leicester training / Michael Regan/GettyImages
Leicester will soon have the services of Wilfred Ndidi available after the Nigerian midfielder returned to training in the week, but he isn't expected to be involved this Sunday.
Van Nistelrooy has also been coy over the potential return of goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who's been out for weeks with a groin injury. The Dane could be back next month.
The visitors are also without long-term absentees Abdul Fatawu and Ricardo Pereira.
Leicester predicted lineup vs Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Stolarczyk; Kristiansen, Faes, Vestergaard, Justin; Winks, Soumare; Mavididi, El Khannouss, Buonanotte; Vardy.
Tottenham are exhausted but Leicester are terrible. The Van Nistelrooy era already appears as if it may be coming to a close, even if the man himself has recently dismissed any angst over his future.
The Foxes' primary task on Sunday is staying in the game for as long as possible. Spurs will come out strong in a bid to build a healthy advantage before tiring late. Can this error-prone Leicester backline keep the hosts at bay? It seems unlikely.
We're expecting Tottenham to blitz past their visitors early, but the second half is set to be a proper slog. Fortunately, they're facing a Leicester team who've been shut out in their previous two outings.