ottenham will begin the Ange Postecoglou era without Harry Kane against Brentford on Sunday, with Richarlison expected to fill the void left by the England captain up front.
Postecoglou is likely to hand debuts to goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, left-back Destiny Udogie and playmaker James Maddison, but has said that new centre-half Micky van de Ven is not fully match sharp, meaning Ben Davies could deputise.
The new head coach faces a selection dilemma in midfield following impressive pre-seasons for a number of players, but Oliver Skipp is favourite to pip Giovani Lo Celso, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Pape Sarr, and join Maddison and Yves Bissouma in the middle of the park.
Skipp scored a brace in Tuesday’s friendly against Barcelona.
Postecoglou is set to name a new captain on Saturday, with Heung-min Son surely the leading contender.
The Australian has backed Richarlison to fill Kane’s boots, despite the Brazil No9’s difficult first season at the club.
“Richy is a fantastic player and I said before he’s got some really strong attributes that fit in well with the way my team is set up,” Postecoglou said Friday.
“He’s a hard worker for the team and apart from doing the stuff he needs to in front of goal, there are other aspects of his game.
“He’s represented his country at a World Cup which is not an insignificant thing and sometimes when things like this happen, opportunity exists and it’s up to somebody to step through that door. That’s Richy or anyone else. That’s all you can ask for in football, just to have that opportunity.”
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-3-3): Vicario; Emerson, Romero, Davies, Udogie; Bissouma, Skipp, Maddison; Kulusevki, Richarlison, Son
Injuries: Gil, Forster, Parrott, Whiteman, Bentancur, Sessegnon
Doubts: Van de Ven
Time and date: 2pm, Sunday August 13, 2023
Venue: Gtech Community Stadium
