Date: Sunday 31st December, 2023
Time: 3:00 pm
Stadium Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Referee Simon Hooper (England)
Goal Scorer:
Tottenham
Tottenham could be without as many as 11 players for this encounter against Bournemouth, with summer recruit Micky van de Ven still among the absentees. The Dutch defender went off against Chelsea with the game finely balanced at 1-1, and Spurs have not looked the same defensively since.
Manor Solomon (knee), Ivan Perisic (knee), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Rodrigo Bentancur (ankle), James Maddison (ankle), and Cristian Romero (hamstring) all remain on the sidelines, although chief creator Maddison is moving ever closer to a comeback to training.
Yves Bissouma continues to serve a suspension for Spurs following a red card against Nottingham Forest and is joined by Dejan Kulusevski, who is struggling with a knock sustained against Brighton. But he is banned for this one due to yellow card accumulation regardless.
Romero and van de Ven’s absence means Emerson Royal and Ben Davies will again likely play at centre-back, while the absence of Bentancur or Bissouma means either Oliver Skipp or transfer-listed Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg will partner Pape Matar Sarr in the engine room.
Giovani Lo Celso will be the attacking midfielder. Wingers Brennan Johnson and Son Heung-min will look to drift wide from time to time and stretch the pitch in the final third. Richarlison will lead the line for the home side, having been involved in seven goals in his last six Premier League home games for Spurs.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Emerson, Davies, Udogie; Skipp, Sarr; Johnson, Lo Celso, Son; Richarlison
Bournemouth
Bournemouth are currently playing as well as anyone in the Premier League, with the pressing and possession-based ideals head coach Andoni Iraola was famed for in Spain finally bearing fruit.
However, the Cherries are sweating over the fitness of Lewis Cook, while Tyler Adams (hamstring), Ryan Fredericks (calf), Lloyd Kelly (thigh), Hamed Traore (illness), and Emiliano Marcondes (ankle) are all still missing.
Milos Kerkez and Darren Randolph are both listed as doubtful, adding to the uncertainty surrounding Bournemouth’s starting lineup for the match. A return for Kerkez would see Dango Ouattara drop out of the starting XI, having operated as a makeshift left-back on Tuesday.
Talismanic striker Dominic Solanke is continuing to enjoy a remarkable campaign, with his strike against Fulham coming after his first Premier League hat-trick. The 26-year-old is now tied on 12 goals for the season with Mohamed Salah, with the duo only behind Erling Haaland in the Premier League goal-scoring charts.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Neto; Smith, Zabarnyi, Senesi, Kerkez; Christie, Scott; Semenyo, Kluivert, Tavernier; Solanke
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Bournemouth
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