After suffering only one defeat in their opening ten Premier League games, Antonio Conte's Tottenham have slumped to back-to-back league defeats for only the second time since he joined the club last November. Spurs then also suffered late heartbreak in the Champions League against Sporting CP on Wednesday.
Harry Kane thought he had sent Spurs into the knockout stages with a last-gasp strike, but after a long delay, the goal was correctly ruled out by VAR for offside, meaning Tottenham's Champions League fate will go down to the final matchday against Marseille.
Spurs will be without influential attackers Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski against Bournemouth this weekend as the duo continue their recovery from respective injuries. Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, who were both doubts for the game against Sporting but featured regardless, may not recover for the match against the Cherries in time.
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"We have taken a big, big risk for this decision," said Conte when asked about the availability of Romero and Hojbjerg. "Especially for Cuti, for Romero, because he was really tired and we risked him a lot. But you know, for this type of game, you have to take risks, and the players can gave us their availability to play.
"Now we have to try to manage very well because he played and was lucky to finish the game, but he finished the game with great will and desire.
"For this reason, it is right to say thanks to him and Pierre. I think Cuti needed to recover better, but Pierre is OK 100%. Cuti is OK, but we have another important game on Tuesday, and for this reason, we are trying to make the best decision for him."
Conte opted for a 3-4-3 formation for the game against Sporting after starting with a 3-5-2 in the defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle, and it remains up in the air which system the Italian will go for on Saturday.
Bearing in mind Spurs' injury news and possible tactical tweaks, here are two possible ways they could line up.
Davinson Sanchez in for Romero
In his pre-match press conference, Conte seemed to indicate he has more concerns for Romero as opposed to Hojbjerg, which could lead to the Argentine missing this weekend's game, with Davinson Sanchez his likely replacement.
Potential lineup (3-4-3-): Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson Hojbjerg, Bentancur Sessengon; Lucas, Son, Kane
Bissouma set for a recall
Conte's decision to start Lucas for the first time this season against Sporting didn't have the desired effect, with the Brazilian struggling to impact the game. This may lead the 53-year-old to select a three-man midfield which would likely see Yves Bissouma come into the team, although it is possible Oliver Skipp could start if a midfield three is deployed.
Potential lineup (3-5-2-): Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Lenglet; Emerson Hojbjerg, Bissouma, Bentancur, Sessengon; Son, Kane
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