Richarlison will step up for Tottenham today and lead the attack without Harry Kane against Brentford.
Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou hands debuts to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, left-back Destiny Udogie, central defender Micky van de Ven and playmaker James Maddison in their Premier League opener at the Gtech Community Stadium this afternoon.
The new head coach faced a selection dilemma in midfield following impressive pre-seasons for a number of players, but Oliver Skipp pips Giovani Lo Celso, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Pape Sarr to join Maddison and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park.
CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW BRENTFORD VS TOTTENHAM LIVE!
Skipp scored a brace in Tuesday's friendly against Barcelona. Postecoglou named Heung-min Son as his new captain on Saturday, to be assisted by new No10 Maddison and Cristian Romero.
Postecoglou has backed Richarlison to fill Kane's boots, despite the Brazil No9's difficult first season at the club.
“Richy is a fantastic player and I said before he's got some really strong attributes that fit in well with the way my team is set up," Postecoglou said Friday.
“He's a hard worker for the team and apart from doing the stuff he needs to in front of goal, there are other aspects of his game.
“He's represented his country at a World Cup which is not an insignificant thing and sometimes when things like this happen, opportunity exists and it's up to somebody to step through that door.
“That's Richy or anyone else. That's all you can ask for in football, just to have that opportunity.”
Eric Dier, Japhet Tanganga, Sergio Reguilon, Djed Spence and Tanguy Ndombele are among the most high-profile omissions from Postecoglou’s first Tottenham matchday squad.
Tottenham starting XI: Vicario, Emerson, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie, Bissouma, Skipp, Kulusevski, Maddison, Son, Richarlison
Subs: Hojbjerg, Sanchez, Perisic, Lo Celso, Porro, Sarr, Davies, Austin, Solomon
Injured: Gil, Forster, Parrott, Whiteman, Bentancur, Sessegnon
Time and date: 2pm, Sunday August 13, 2023
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium
