After dramatic defeats at the hands of Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers prior to the international break, there's pressure on Tottenham to respond with a victory this Sunday.
As Premier League football returns, the Lilywhites welcome Aston Villa to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the knowledge that a defeat would see their weekend opponents leapfrog them in the table. However, a victory could, hypothetically, send Spurs back top if luck is on their side.
Ange Postecoglou has a mountain of injuries and suspensions to contend with, making the Australian's life significantly more difficult ahead of Villa's visit to north London. Spurs find themselves short on options all over the pitch and will need to perform better than they did against Wolves last time out to come away with three points this weekend.
Here is how Postecoglou could line his Tottenham side up against Aston Villa.
Tottenham predicted lineup vs Aston Villa (4-3-3)
GK: Guglielmo Vicario - The Italian may be frequently tested by the likes of Moussa Diaby and Ollie Watkins this Sunday, but he has proven himself up to the challenge on a weekly basis in the Premier League.
RB: Pedro Porro - Despite a shaky start to life in north London, Porro has blossomed under Postecoglou's tutelage. The former Sporting CP defender has massively improved defensively, while continuing to pose plenty of threat going forward.
CB: Eric Dier - Postecoglou will be forced to include Dier due to the absence of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven, but the much-maligned centre-back performed admirably in defeat against Wolves last time out.
CB: Ben Davies - Until Tottenham's late collapse at Molineux, Davies was set ot be named player of the match after his impressive performance on his return to the Spurs side. Having featured for Wales on international duty, the 30-year-old should be match sharp.
LB: Destiny Udogie - Despite having missed the Wolves encounter through suspension and having withdrawn from the Italy squad due to injury, Udogie should return against Villa. The youngster has been one of the standout defenders in the Premier League this season and will be welcomed back into the starting lineup by Postecoglou.
CM: Pape Matar Sarr - The midfielder has been impressive under Postecoglou and will need to step up in the absence of Yves Bissouma.
CM: Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg - The Denmark international returned to the starting lineup against Wolves and put in a solid, if unspectacular, performance. His defensive acumen should help limit Villa's attacking threats.
CM: Rodrigo Bentancur - The Uruguayan is yet to start a game after his long injury layoff, but the absence of James Maddison and Bissouma could see him line up against Villa. Postecoglou could do with his creativity in central areas.
RW: Dejan Kulusevski - Having missed out on Euro 2024 with Sweden, Kulusevski will be looking to take his frustrations out on the Villa backline. The winger could get plenty of joy up against Lucas Digne down the right-hand side.
ST: Heung-min Son - Eight goals for Tottenham in the Premier League so far this season is an impressive haul, but Spurs' talisman was quiet against Wolves and will need to improve against Villa this weekend.
LW: Brennan Johnson - The former Nottingham Forest man grabbed his first Spurs goal against Wolves and impressed with his willingness to run in behind at Molineux. The Welshman is showing plenty of promise under Postecoglou.
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