Tottenham Hotspur will play host to Sheffield United after the international break in the Premier League. Just before the international break, the Lilywhites destroyed newly promoted Burnley 5-2. The Blades earned their first point by drawing 2-2 with Everton at home.
Preview (Tottenham Hotspur vs. Sheffield United)
When Spurs’ EFL Cup run came to an end with a penalty shootout loss to Fulham in the second round, closing off one avenue to a long-awaited trophy, and Postecoglou’s team fell behind Lyle Foster’s goal with just four minutes on the clock against Burnley, the infamous Giorgio Chiellini clip started making the rounds on social media once more. Son Heung-min scored a spectacular hat-trick in the second half. The vivacious James Maddison expertly pinpointed the bottom corner before the break. However, Son Heung-min’s exquisite chip and a thunderbolt from Cristian Romero turned the game on its head before halftime. Spurs could not be in a better position going into their first North London derby at the Emirates. A mouthwatering home match against Liverpool is also on the menu at the end of the month.
Arnaut Danjuma scored at the back post to tie the score for Everton, who were then indebted to Pickford for an incredible double save to deny Oli McBurnie at the very last second. A second Archer strike hit the post before cannoning into the net off Pickford’s back. It was similar to Emiliano Martinez’s own goal against Arsenal back in February. One point was still an improvement over Paul Heckingbottom’s team’s first three Premier League games. The 17th-placed Blades are now keeping their heads above water thanks to the goal differential tally.
Despite Paul Heckingbottom’s team feeling the disappointment of what might have been, one point was still a positive result. When it comes to early EFL Cup eliminations, Sheffield United and Spurs can both relate. The Blades lost to Lincoln City despite having a 12-yard advantage before holding on for a point against Everton, and four of the visitors’ past five competitive away games have also ended in defeat.
Team News
Tottenham will need to carefully evaluate their foreign contingent, as will be the case with many Premier League teams, in particular Son, Romero, and Richarlison, the latter of whom recently disclosed that he plans to seek psychological therapy following a trying time off the field. The importance of Son and Romero to Postecoglou’s formation cannot be understated, but they will return to Hotspur Way after exhausting trips back from Asia and South America, respectively. Both players overcame injury concerns during the international break.
Alfie Whiteman (ankle), Bryan Gil (groin), Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) are all recovering from procedures. Giovani Lo Celso, who missed Argentina’s matches this month due to a thigh strain, is questionable for the weekend as well. Although Sheffield United’s international team did not travel as far, the Blades will need to deal with no less than eight injuries this weekend as Yasser Larouci suffered a back injury in the second half of their match against Everton.
The 22-year-old, who just switched allegiance to Algeria, has not yet been ruled out of the trip to North London, but Luke Thomas, a loan player from Leicester City, may now be included in the starting lineup, especially with Ben Osborn also out with a serious groin injury. Anel Ahmedhodzic (hamstring), Rhian Brewster (thigh), Daniel Jebbison (illness), Max Lowe (ankle), Rhys Norrington-Davies (thigh), and John Fleck (calf) are all expected to sit this one out as well. John Egan, however, overcame a knee issue to play for the Republic of Ireland during the international break.
Tottenham Hotspur 3 – 0 Sheffield United
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