Tottenham Hotspur will be hoping to put their uninspiring 1-1 draw against Fulham behind them when they travel to Hampshire to take on Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Thursday night.
Tottenham blew hot and cold throughout November, winning just two out of their five games across all competitions (D1, L2), but they couldn’t have wished for a better finale.
Ange Postecoglou’s side closed out an inconsistent November by thrashing reigning champions Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium.
However, they’ve failed to capitalise on the massive morale-boosting victory, stumbling into December with a frustrating 1-1 draw against Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
They must now find some stability during the packed winter schedule to strengthen their chances of gatecrashing the top four and earning a Champions League return.
Visiting Bournemouth might be tricky for Spurs. The Cherries are brimming with confidence after beating Manchester City and Arsenal on home turf this season.
Despite their struggles, the Cherries have proven they can take points off the elites, and they’ll be eyeing another upset when Spurs visit.
However, the odds are in Tottenham’s favour – they’re unbeaten in their last three visits to Bournemouth (W2, D1), winning the previous two in a row.
Postecoglou will be keen to continue that trend and could make a slight tweak from the side that featured in the London derby, with two changes expected.
The Australian will be without Rodrigo Bentancur, who will serve the third of his seven-game ban, while Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert, and Mikey Moore are sidelined with injuries.
Cristian Romero and Archie Gray are also doubtful, but it’s not all gloom on the injury front, with Dominic Solanke poised to face his former employers after shaking off an illness.
His return would enable Son Heung-min to displace Timo Werner on the left flank.
Dejan Kulusevski could also return to the XI. The ‘ambitious‘ 24-year-old ace could step in for Pape Matar Sarr, who dropped a 7/10 performance against Fulham.
Predicted Tottenham XI
(4-3-3): Fraser Forster; Pedro Porro, Radu Dragusin, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie; Dejan Kulusevski, Yves Bissouma, James Maddison; Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Son Heung-min.
