OPINION
Tottenham were done a big favour by Arsenal on Wednesday night and the 3-1 defeat for the Gunners has given them a four-point buffer in the race for the top four.
And that could give Mauricio Pochettino the chance to rest a couple players this weekend ahead of the first-leg of the Champions League semi-final against Ajax next week.
West Ham are the visitors to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and three points is vital. But Pochettino must balance his team against the fixtures now with a very real chance of getting to the final of the Champions League.
We think that both Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier will get rested, with Ben Davies and Kyle Walker-Peters coming in. Pochettino could even change his entire back line, with Davinson Sanchez and Juan Foyth coming in, but we think Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld will get the nod.
Up top there aren’t that many options. Despite looking better than Fernando Llorente when he came on, we can’t see a spot in the starting XI for Vincent Janssen. Instead, we’re expecting to see Llorente up top, with Heung-min Son and Lucas Moura alongside him.
Son is surely nailed on to start after being suspended for the first leg of the Champions League tie.
In midfield, Eric Dier is back and he should start with Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen. 27-year-old Victor Wanyama should drop to the bench. Moussa Sissoko and Harry Winks are still major doubts.
This is the starting XI we expect Pochettino to unleash on Saturday:
