Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to win in the Premier League for the first time since the middle of October when they welcome Leeds United to North London on Sunday afternoon. Spurs drew 0-0 with Everton in Antonio Conte’s first league match in charge before the international break, while Leeds also picked up a point in a 1-1 draw with Leicester City last time out.
Conte’s first league game in the Spurs dugout was at Goodison Park on November 7, and it was a relatively solid start for the Italian, with the capital club claiming a point in a goalless draw with Everton. It is now three league games without a victory for Tottenham, having lost their last two matches under Nuno Espirito Santo. A record of five wins, one draw and five defeats this season has seen Spurs collect 16 points to sit ninth in the table, but they are only one point behind sixth-placed Man United and certainly have a run of winnable games ahead.
The Spurs’ defense has been better than their offensive play this season with players like Romero, Sanchez, and Dier getting in good performances. Their fullbacks have been impressive as well. Spurs have a high success rate with defensive duels and have won the second most number of duels in the league.
Hueng-min Son has been getting the goals for Spurs this season and is their top scorer so far, with Harry Kane still struggling to get into this stride. The attacking stats of Son are far better than the median league value, which indicates he has put up impressive performances for his team. Son is most likely to play in a front three alongside Kane and Lucas Moura and can thrive in this position.
Leeds, meanwhile, have found it difficult to get going in the opening months of the 2021-22 campaign, with a total of 11 points from 11 matches leaving them down in the 15th position in the table.
The Whites have only managed to win two league games this term, which is the fourth-worst record in the division, behind Newcastle United, Burnley, and Norwich. Marcelo Bielsa’s side have only lost one of their last five matches in the league and will bring a three-game unbeaten run into this contest – drawing with Wolverhampton Wanderers and Leicester, in addition to beating Norwich, since a 0-1 loss at Southampton.
Spurs will play more attacking football and will try to score the first goal. Leeds United can take advantage of this and attack the Spurs goal on the break. Leeds have attempted the most number of counterattacks in the league and have an average of 4.93 counterattacks per 90. With great pace in their front line, they can move from one end of the pitch to the other in no time.
Conte faces a monumental task in reviving the North London giants, and a win over Leeds on Sunday would be a significant step in the right direction for the Italian, who understands what it takes to build a winning team.
Tottenham Hotspur predicted starting lineup:
Lloris; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Emerson, Hojbjerg, Ndombele, Reguilon; Son, Kane, Lucas
Leeds United predicted starting lineup:
Meslier; Dallas, Llorente, Cooper, Firpo; Phillips, Forshaw; Raphinha, Rodrigo, Harrison; James
