Tottenham host Wolverhampton Wanderers on December 29th
Tottenham Hotspur host Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday, December 29th, as they look to draw the curtains on 2024 with a win in front of their home supporters in the Premier League after two successive defeats. The Lilywhites will also reach the halfway point of the season following the game against Vitor Pereira’s side and it is fair to say that they have a lot of work to do in the second half of the campaign if they are to finish in the European spots by May.
The match could also be an important landmark in Ange Postecoglou’s career at Spurs as more dropped points could see the Australian get the firing from Daniel Levy. The only reason the Tottenham chief has not pulled the trigger on him is due to the busy festive schedule but with nearly a week between the team’s next two games, there could very possible be a seismic news coming out of Hotspur Way if things don’t end up working out perfectly.
Team News
Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur will be without Djed Spence after his red card against Nottingham Forest in Thursday’s 1-0 defeat. The Lilywhites are also going to miss Cristian Romero, Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Mikey Moore, Radu Dragusin, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert – all of whom are having fitness worries ahead of Wolves’ visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
That being said, Ben Davies is likely to be fit and might start for a depleted side in the heart of the backline. Spurs will need to take control of the game from the word go as Wolves, in spite of being 17th, will be a big challenge having recently seen off Manchester United. Likewise, the offensive game-plan will also need to be robust.
PREDICTED TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR XI (4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Gray, Davies, Udogie; Kulusevski, Sarr, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Son
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers don’t have to deal with any suspension problems on their visit to north London but will be without as many as six players for the game. Boubacar Traore, Enso Gonzalez, Mario Lemina, Pablo Sarabia, Sasa Kalajdzic and Yerson Mosquera are unlikely to be at Vitor Pereira’s disposal owing to injury issues.
Matheus Cunha will be the visiting outfit’s biggest threat going forward and with 10 goals as well as four assists to his name in the ongoing campaign, the Brazilian marksman will have to be closely monitored by the Lilywhites. Defensively, Wolves are not doing a solid job and having conceded 40 times in the Premier League this season, Spurs can exploit them if they are not compact.
PREDICTED WOLVES XI (3-4-2-1): Sa; Doherty, Bueno, Gomes; Semedo, Andre, Gomes, Ait Nouri; Guedes, Cunha; Strand Larsen
Match-deciding duel
Pedro Porro vs Matheus Cunha
Matheus Cunha is in imperious form and if Tottenham Hotspur are able to deal with the threat posed by him, they would have done more than half their defensive duties right. Pedro Porro will be tasked with keeping the South American hitman at bay and it will be interesting to see how the former Sporting Lisbon right back squares up against Cunha.
Porro’s role will likely be more defensive than usual and he would consequently not have the license to go forward as a result of having to tightly mark Cunha, so it will be interesting to see how that possible tactic affects the team’s offensive momentum down the right side, and whether Dejan Kulusevski is freed from his defensive shackles as a result.
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Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Wolverhampton Wanderers
Wolverhampton Wanderers will come into the game with their tails up having defeated Manchester United very convincingly in their previous outing. Tottenham Hotspur, meanwhile, are crippling in terms of form and fitness, with a lack of squad depth proving detrimental for Ange Postecoglou with every passing game. It is becoming increasingly hard to see Spurs picking up points, not least when their opponent is playing some very good football, especially given the so-called ‘new manager bounce’.
