Tottenham’s predicted XI vs. Liverpool as Tudor battles to save his (interim) job | OneFootball

It may well be a last throw of the dice for Igor Tudor as Tottenham take on Liverpool on Sunday, desperate to find a way to halt the longest losing streak in their history.

Tudor has lost all four of his games in charge of Tottenham so far, picking a different lineup each time. That makes predicting his next Spurs XI (could it be his last?) a bit tricky – but we’re going to try.

A trip to Anfield awaits Spurs on Sunday as attention switches back to the Premier League after the debacle of their 5-2 loss to Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Tottenham’s list of absentees isn’t helpful. Micky van de Ven is suspended, while the injury list includes Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Mohammed Kudus, Rodrigo Bentancur, Wilson Odobert, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Destiny Udogie could be on the verge of a comeback, while Spurs will have to assess Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha after their clash of heads on Tuesday that forced them both off.

So what starting XI will Tudor scramble together to take on another English side who lost in midweek and have a manager under scrutiny – just not on the same full-blown crisis scale?

Here’s a quick reminder of the four different lineups Tudor has started with so far:

And here’s how we think/guess Tottenham will set up on Sunday, in a 3-5-2 shape…

GK: Guglielmo Vicario

Tudor simply has to revert to starting Vicario after the much-scrutinised decision to switch to Antonin Kinsky – and then take him off after 17 minutes – on Tuesday.

Kinsky struggled on his Champions League debut, so the fair thing to do would be to take the 23-year-old out of the spotlight.

Vicario has started all 29 of their Premier League games this season. Whilst he hasn’t entirely convinced in his own right, the Italian will make that 30 on Sunday.

RCB: Kevin Danso

Tudor will have to decide whether to use a back three or back four against Liverpool.

He has gone with a three in all but one of his matches in charge so far, so we’ll assume that’s what he’ll prefer, even though Van de Ven’s absence and the question mark over Romero could put that in doubt.

Danso came into the starting lineup against Palace and completed the full 90 minutes in that game and against Atleti.

Tottenham conceded eight goals in that time, which isn’t a great reflection for their defence, but given their available personnel at the moment, he will likely be a senior option in their backline.

CB: Cristian Romero

Romero may need to be assessed after his head injury, but he didn’t come off as badly from the collision as Palhinha.

The centre-back will likely be able to return to action, which will be important for a Spurs side missing Van de Ven.

Alternatively, if Romero can’t play, Spurs may have to drop Archie Gray into the back three or go with a four instead.

LCB: Radu Dragusin

After starting Tudor’s first two games in charge, Dragusin missed the Palace match and sat on the bench against Atleti.

As long as he’s fit enough, Spurs probably need him to step back into their starting defensive line in Van de Ven’s absence.

RWB: Pedro Porro

Porro has become the only genuine candidate for the right-back role due to Djed Spence shifting over to the left-hand side.

Archie Gray could be an alternative at right-back, but Porro is the more natural fit there and will be expecting to start a fourth game in a row.

CM: Archie Gray

Gray is the only player to have played every single minute under Tudor so far, although that hasn’t all been in the same position.

He’s played at right wing-back, left-back and in his natural position of central midfield.

As mentioned, depending on Romero’s availability, Spurs might need him in some sort of defensive role on Sunday. But if Romero does play – and Palhinha doesn’t – Gray could operate as the holding midfielder.

CM: Pape Sarr

Sarr is one of only four players – along with Gray, Vicario and Van de Ven – to amass more than 300 minutes of gametime under Tudor so far.

However, he will be in a battle with Yves Bissouma – who wasn’t included in their latest Champions League squad list but is in contention this weekend – for a starting berth on Sunday.

CM: Conor Gallagher

Gallagher started Tudor’s first two games in charge before coming off the bench in the two since.

Any question marks over Palhinha’s availability could play into his hands for a chance to return to the starting lineup, when his energy could be crucial to keep Liverpool at bay.

LWB: Djed Spence

Spence was an obvious choice to return to the starting lineup in midweek, since January signing Souza isn’t in Spurs’ Champions League squad list.

Tudor can pick freely between them for Sunday, but the more senior Spence would be the safer choice against a team like Liverpool.

He would presumably be in a direct battle against Mohamed Salah. The fact that Spence is right-footed should help his chances of dealing with whenever Salah cuts inside, but it will still be a tough one-on-one clash.

ST: Randal Kolo Muani

Tudor reunited with Kolo Muani after their time working together at Juventus last season and has chosen him as a starter in all four of his games so far.

The Frenchman scored the first goal of Tudor’s Spurs spell, but hasn’t found the net again since.

It could cost him his place in the starting lineup after being taken off in all four games so far, but if Spurs go with a strike pairing, it may make more sense to stick with him over someone like Xavi Simons.

ST: Richarlison

Richarlison’s appearance against Atleti was his first as a starter under Tudor, but the former Everton forward has a good record against his old rivals Liverpool.

From 15 appearances against them in the Premier League, Richarlison has scored five times, including three from five as a Spurs player.

The only teams he has ever scored more against are Leicester and Wolves, and while Tudor could also call upon Dominic Solanke, Richarlison is likely to be in slightly better shape.