Tottenham Hotspur vs Stoke City – Preview

Defeat on the opening day is never ideal, but our performance at Old Trafford was good enough to use as a base as we return to White Hart Lane.

The 1-0 score-line doesn’t tell the whole truth – we had Manchester United playing defensive football for a large amount of the game, and only conceded due to a freak own goal. Other than that, we pressed well as a team and created some decent chances. Considering we had already played two matches that same week, I’m proud of what Tottenham managed to show.

On Saturday, we return to White Hart Lane, and a lot has changed since the last time we played here; deadwood such as Paulinho and Vlad Chiriches has (finally) been shifted, allowing a flurry of fresh faces to join, such as Toby Alderweireld and Dele Alli.

(Oh, and updated designs of our new stadium were released)

With more than seven first teamers out the door this summer, it seems Mauricio Pochettino finally has a squad he can trust. With this being our first home match since May, this could be our first glimpse into what the future holds for Tottenham Hotspur.

We come up against a Stoke City side who have been notoriously active in the transfer market this summer. The Potters have used a blend of their share of the Premier League’s TV money and Mark Hughes’s reputation to attract some big name stars, such as former fc Barcelona winger Ibrahim Afellay, and Swiss star Xherdan Shaqiri.

Thanks to Hughes, Stoke are no longer the subject of rugby jokes or ridicule for their former direct style. Instead, the Welshman has turned them into a fine footballing outfit, one very capable of challenging for a Europa League spot. Despite an immediate setback last week against Liverpool, Stoke are a side very hard to beat – and we know better than anyone.

Stoke were the only side able to do the double over us last season, winning 1-2 at White Hart Lane in November, before turning us over 3-0 at the Britannia Stadium in May. The Potters also attracted global fame after demolishing Liverpool 6-1 in Steven Gerrard’s final game for the reds.

Our meeting will certainly be one showcasing good football, with both sides eager to win. Pochettino’s pressing game will be pushed very hard by Hughes’s quick yet intricate style.

Before our defeats to Stoke last year, we had won the previous three meetings; the Potters had also beaten us on just three more occasions since promotion to the Premier League back in 2008.

On the injury front, Andros Townsend will probably be our only absentee as he regains match fitness after a shoulder injury. Danny Rose could return for Spurs after a hip/thigh injury kept him out of our opening game at Manchester United, whilst Roberto Soldado is expected to be finalising a move to Villarreal. Alex Pritchard could be in contention for his first appearance under Pochettino; the academy graduate was widely considered as one of the Championship’s best players during his loan spell at Brentford last season.

For Stoke, Mark Hughes could welcome back Erik Pieters, Marc Wilson and Marko Arnautovic, but Peter Odemwingie (hamstring) and Ryan Shawcross (back) are expected to miss out.

After featuring in an under-21 game vs Everton, Hugo Lloris could start his first match as the official captain of Tottenham Hotspur; with Real Madrid hell-bent on signing David De Gea, it seems as though the French stopper will stick around at Tottenham for at least another year, much to the delight of every single Spurs fan.

Despite scoring the decisive own goal last week, Kyle Walker put in an otherwise solid performance, and I expect him to start again at right back.

Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertoghen looked solid at Old Trafford, and I’d be incredibly surprised if either were dropped whilst fit.

Danny Rose faces a race against time in order to be fit; his overlapping runs were sorely missed last time out.

Neither Eric Dier or Nabil Bentaleb played particularly well last week; whilst our new number 6 gave the ball away leading up to the goal (and had a shocking game in terms of passing), our makeshift defensive midfielder didn’t cover for Toby Alderweireld, leading to Wayne Rooney having too much space, resulting in the goal. Nevertheless, I expect their mixture of strength and technique to be used effectively against this Stoke side, especially if White Hart Lane-enemy Charlie Adam features.

Mauricio Pochettino discussed further using Mousa Dembele as a right winger this week, so I expect he will start the Belgian for at least one more game whilst Erik Lamela continues to gain match fitness.

Christian Eriksen began the game at United rather lively, but faded away too soon – hopefully we see the return of our beloved, awe-inspiring Dane this weekend.

Elsewhere Nacer Chadli and Harry Kane are expected to take on their usual roles.

Tottenham and Stoke’s respective 1-0 defeats were hardly fair, but which side will bounce back on Saturday?

Predicted XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Bentaleb; Dembele, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane