Tottenham Hotspur have enjoyed comparative success under Ange Postecoglou but will need to hit a rich vein of form heading into the business end of the Premier League campaign – Champions League qualification is on the line.
Last time out, before the international break, the Lilywhites were trounced 3-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage but have the perfect opportunity to make amends on Saturday, welcoming relegation-threatened Luton Town to north London.
Still fifth-placed and just three points behind Aston Villa in the top four (and with a game in hand), Spurs simply have to secure victory against Rob Edwards' side and will be galvanised by the possible return of Micky van de Ven, who missed out against Fulham due to injury.
Moreover, Richarlison could be in line for his first start since picking up an ankle injury against Wolverhampton Wanderers in February.
Postecoglou has options to defeat a Hatters side that has not claimed a Premier League win in two months, and he might make three changes to set the tone for the final stretch of the campaign.
1 GK – Guglielmo Vicario
Guglielmo Vicario has started every Premier League fixture for Tottenham this season and has been rewarded for his fine efforts with an Italy debut last week.
Spurs' top defenders get much credit for the improvements in the defensive third this season but the shot-stopper has been immense.
2 RB – Pedro Porro
Pedro Porro was guilty of some poor performances last season after joining from Sporting Lisbon in January 2023, but he's now blossoming into a first-class player and has been incredible across a number of areas for Spurs.
Defensively solid, intelligently creative and seamless in his movements, the Spaniard is one of the most important members of the team.
3 CB – Cristian Romero
Perhaps a little overzealous at times, but hey, Cristian Romero is a singular centre-half and he's oh-so impressive in combining aggressiveness and technical quality.
Counterbalanced against the athleticism and speed of Van de Ven, the 2022 World Cup winner will be key is stifling any Luton attacks.
4 CB – Micky van de Ven
There are questions surrounding Van de Ven's return and whether Postecoglou will play the prudent game and keep him away from the starting XI ahead of Tuesday's clash against West Ham United, but he's been training and may well start.
Van de Ven bagged his only Tottenham goal against Luton and has been ridiculously important for the club – he's lost just two times across 18 Premier League appearances, with his teammates falling to defeat across half of the ten fixtures he has missed.
5 LB – Destiny Udogie
Who else? Ben Davies enjoyed a fine international break with Wales and picked up a 9/10 match rating during his nation's penalty defeat against Poland, but Destiny Udogie, aged 21, has been brilliant since arriving in England last summer.
As per FBref, the £75k-per-week speedster ranks among the top 10% of full-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 11% for successful take-ons, the top 18% for tackles and the top 8% for interceptions. Quite the complete skill set.
6 CM – Yves Bissouma
After a terrible 2022/23 campaign, Yves Bissouma has been one of the Premier League's most fearsome defensive midfielders this season, with his ball-winning expertise and crisp distribution marrying into Postecoglou's robust style of play.
His season has been punctuated with suspensions and dips in form, but he will now need to pull it all together as the final few months arrive.
7 CM – Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur endured a torrid injury-blighted 2023 but he has been a regular part of the matchday squad since just before the New Year and will be hoping to be fielded from the outset after starting from the bench across Tottenham's past two games.
He's embracing a more expansive style of play this season after being largely used as a deep-lying playmaker under Antonio Conte and offers a nice balance alongside the tough-tackling Bissouma.
8 RW – Dejan Kulusevski
Dejan Kulusevski is not a 20-goal-a-season winger, nor is he a creative phenomenon on the level of, say, Kevin De Bruyne, but the Sweden international is a fantastic player and is one of the most important members of Postecoglou's team, energetic, enterprising and effective.
As per Sofascore, he has scored six goals and provided three assists across 26 Premier League fixtures this season, creating ten big chances, completing 82% of his passes and averaging 2.0 key passes, 1.8 tackles, 4.2 ball recoveries, 1.7 dribbles and 4.3 successful duels per game.
9 AM – James Maddison
Still not quite back to his stunning pre-injury levels, James Maddison remains one of the Premier League's elite playmakers and has been the conduit between midfield and attack, racking up seven assists and averaging 2.5 key passes per game.
It was he who claimed the match-winning assist as his side slenderly won the reverse fixture back in October, and you wouldn't bet against him popping up with another defining moment tomorrow.
10 LW – Heung-min Son
He might be nearing his 32nd birthday but Heung-min Son is very much still a "world-class player", according to Postecoglou.
1.
Mohamed Salah
Liverpool
19
2.
Heung-min Son
Tottenham Hotspur
17
3.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Liverpool
13
4.
Bruno Fernandes
Manchester United
13
5.
Bukayo Saka
Arsenal
13
5.
Martin Odegaard
Arsenal
13
5.
Kieran Trippier
Newcastle United
13
5.
Dwight McNeil
Everton
13
A dynamic forward, Son is hailed for his scoring prowess but he's also one of the most creative and fluid forwards around, so effective as his side's multi-functioning talisman.
The skipper will take Brennan Johnson's place on the left wing, and while the Welshman has been noted for his "frightening pace and directness" by content creator HLTCO, Son offers so much more.
