Expected Spurs XI vs Leeds following Conte’s worrying Kane admission

Tottenham will be looking for a much-needed morale boosting win against Leeds in the Premier League on Saturday before their stars jet off to take part in the Qatar World Cup. Spurs’ form has been shaky of late, and they have won just two of their last seven games in all competitions, with Wednesday’s 2-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest seeing them knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the first hurdle.

Worryingly, manager Antonio Conte said after the match that some of his players were running on empty – including Harry Kane, who was substituted in the second half. “It was a problem of tiredness,” the Italian said on Kane. “Really, really tired and yesterday we had a soft training session and at one point he stopped himself to recover energy.”

So will that influence Conte’s selection against Leeds? Here is Spurs’ predicted starting XI for the encounter…

Goalkeeper: Hugo Lloris

It has, once again, been a mixed season so far for Lloris. The club captain has at times impressed with a string of impressive saves to keep his side in a number of games, yet has also made the odd clanger here and there. 

The Frenchman was afforded a rare rest against Forest, with deputy Fraser Forster coming in for his first appearance for the club. Nevertheless, Lloris is almost guaranteed to win his place back on Saturday. 

Defenders: Eric Dier, Clement Lenglet, Ben Davies

Cristian Romero – arguably Spurs’ best centre-back – is still out injured, while back-up Davinson Sanchez did not exactly cover himself in glory against Forest during the week. Davies is therefore likely to come in for the Colombian, with Lenglet and Dier keeping their places despite some rather up-and-down form.

Midfielders: Emerson Royal, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ivan Perisic

It is a move that probably won’t be popular with Tottenham supporters, but Conte still appears to favour Emerson over any of his other right wing-backs, despite the lesser-spotted Djed Spence showing some signs of promise when he came off the bench against his former team at the City Ground on Wednesday.

Hojbjerg and Bentancur have been arguably Spurs’ two most impressive performers so far this season, and they are likely to start in the middle of the park, with Perisic making up the numbers on the left flank.

Forwards: Dejan Kulusevski, Harry Kane, Richarlison

Despite Kane’s clear need for a rest, the loss of Son Heung-min to injury means Conte will probably have little choice but to start the England talisman once more today. The good news is the return of Kulusevski and Richarlison, who have both spent time on the sidelines in recent weeks.

If Spurs are to end a turbulent few weeks on a high note, they will need their front three firing and at their best in north London, and fans will be desperately hoping they will be able to go into the mid-season break with some optimism about what is to come after Christmas.