Tottenham Hotspur are back on the road in Europe on Thursday night to face a Ludogorets Razgrad side who have won nine consecutive Bulgarian League titles.
Spurs will be looking to get their campaign back on track after the 1-0 defeat to Royal Antwerp last time out and go into this match second in Group J, three points better off than their opponents, who have lost both matches so far.
Here's the 11 players Jose Mourinho should start for this one.
1. Goalkeeper & Defenders
Joe Hart (GK) – Hart has already featured in the same amount of games this season as he did for Burnley last season, and his clean sheet against LASK was his first since December 2018. A high profile backup and almost a dead-cert between the sticks for Thursday despite being benched for Antwerp.
Serge Aurier (RB) – A position seemingly still very much up for grabs. Who plays Thursday’s and who plays on the weekend is likely to continue to alternate, and Aurier should start this one given Doherty was preferred in the win over Brighton.
Davinson Sanchez (CB) – Left out of the squad for Brighton presumably to be rested along with Aurier after a busy October. Has played more games in Europe than he has domestically so far this season, and is expected to rotate back in for Toby Alderweireld.
Eric Dier (CB) – Didn’t play in Spurs' defeat in Belgium so could come back in as a trusted option at centre-back.
Ben Davies (LB) – A player who could end up getting most of his action in cup competitions.
2. Midfielders
Harry Winks (CM) – Got another 90 minutes in Europe last week, but is without a Premier League appearance since the draw with West Ham. Has rarely put a foot wrong under Mourinho and will be expected to man the middle of the park with more of the same energy and astuteness.
Giovani Lo Celso (CAM) – One of the three who failed to impress Mourinho in the first 45 minutes in Antwerp and was subsequently dropped for the Brighton game. He should, however, return to the starting lineup for what will be his sixth European appearance this season.
Dele Alli (CAM) – A tremendous player whose future with Spurs remains uncertain. Coming off at half-time last Thursday wouldn’t have helped his confidence and, with Premier League appearances seemingly out of the question for Dele Alli, it might take a good run of form on the continent to change Mourinho’s mind.
3. Forwards
Gareth Bale (RW) – Contrary to Alli, Bale will be in high spirits going into Thursday’s match having scored his first Spurs goal since 2013 to win the Brighton game on Sunday. Will continue to build his match fitness in Europe and could run riot against a Ludogorets side who have conceded six goals in their opening two games already.
Carlos Vinicius (ST) – The third of the trio to be humbled by the manager last week, Carlos Vinicius will be desperate to get off the mark in a Spurs shirt. His next game will not likely come until the return fixture after the international break.
Lucas Moura (LW) – One of a few players to have played in all three completions for Spurs so far this campaign. Two of his three goals so far this season have come in the Europa League and he’ll be hoping to better that ratio given the ever-increasing competition for places.
Source : 90min