Antonio Conte is likely to make a few changes to his Tottenham team once again for Wednesday's Champions League encounter against Sporting CP. Following back-to-back defeats in the Premier League, Spurs really need to bounce back to give everyone a lift ahead of some important games.
Currently sitting top of Group D with two games remaining, Tottenham will seal their place in the knockout phase, providing they beat their Portuguese opponents. However, it won't be easy at all as Sporting defeated them in the first meeting between the sides and they are also in a good position themselves to progress.
Asked about the growth of the club and importance of going through, Conte, speaking in his pre-match press conference, said: "I think it’s important, it’s important for everybody, important for the club, important for the fans, for the players and for me. We are talking about a big, big competition in the world, in Europe, and for this reason we have a great desire, a great will to go to the next round. Especially because we want to show we deserve to stay in this competition and to fight in this competition."
READ MORE: Every word Conte said on Romero and Hojbjerg injuries, January transfers and Spurs transition
So what changes could the boss make to his starting XI? One alteration likely to happen is Ben Davies coming back into the three-man defence in place of Clement Lenglet, who started in Sunday's defeat against Newcastle.
Another change could all depend on Cristian Romero's fitness, with Davinson Sanchez ready to start again if his teammate is not fit enough to return. Conte may also switch things up at wing-back on both flanks to bring Matt Doherty and Ivan Perisic into the XI in place of Emerson Royal and Ryan Sessegnon.
As well as question marks over Romero's fitness, Conte will be hoping that Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is in a position to play after his Newcastle absence. If not, the midfield three of Rodrigo Bentancur, Yves Bissouma and Oliver Skipp will start again as Harry Kane and Son Heung-min continue up front.
Here is the Tottenham team we believe Conte will select for Wednesday's Champions League match against Sporting.
Predicted Tottenham XI: Lloris; Romero, Dier, Davies; Doherty, Bentancur, Hojbjerg, Skipp, Perisic; Kane, Son
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