OPINION
Tottenham can stun Chelsea and leapfrog them in the Premier League table if they make the four changes to the starting XI a club insider expects on Saturday.
Spurs are only one point behind their bitter London rivals going into the Wembley showdown but Chelsea have played the more convincing football this season by some way.
Tottenham have relied upon their squad men over the last month to churn out results, with the likes of Moussa Sissoko and Erik Lamela coming to the fore.
But Lilywhite Rose, who is a reliable source of Tottenham news and has particularly good insight from the training ground, reported on his personal Twitter account that he expects those two to be among four changes made by Mauricio Pochettino at the weekend.
Lamela, Sissoko, Victor Wanyama and Juan Foyth are likely to be replaced by Eric Dier, Harry Winks, Davinson Sanchez and Christian Eriksen.
https://twitter.com/lilywhite_rose/status/1065230203834777600
Certainly, few would quibble with the inclusions of Eriksen and Sanchez for such a significant match. The great Dane is Spurs’ most creative player and has a history of delivering the goods in marquee matches, while the centre-back is more battle-hardened than rising star Foyth.
Wanyama and Sissoko were impressive in the recent win against Crystal Palace, providing power and presence in the middle of the pitch.
Certainly, axing the France international would veer towards controversial, something no sane Spurs supporter could have imagined themselves saying six weeks ago.
That said, Wink’s nimble feet and Dier’s brawn and brain will be needed against Chelsea, whose midfielders could run rings around Wanyama and Sissoko if they were in the mood.
Tottenham need mobility in the centre of the pitch and to protect their defence.
With Eriksen pulling the strings, they can create huge problems for Maurizio Sarri’s side, who will undoubtedly arrive at Wembley seeking three points rather than one, and claim their most notable win of the season.