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Premier League
Sep 16, 2017 at 5.30pm UK
 
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Preview: Tottenham Hotspur vs. Swansea City

Sports Mole previews Saturday evening's Premier League meeting between Tottenham Hotspur and Swansea City at Wembley Stadium.

Fresh on the back of seemingly putting an end to their Wembley woes, Tottenham Hotspur welcome Swansea City to the national stadium in the Premier League.

Spurs may have picked up a heavy win in their last top-flight outing but they still have some catching up to do, having thrown away key points in their opening two home league fixtures.


Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane celebrates scoring for his side during their Champions League Group H clash with Borussia Dortmund at Wembley on September 13, 2017© Offside

There is no denying that the 3-1 victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday night lifted a massive weight off Tottenham's shoulders, as reflected in the post-match comments from manager Mauricio Pochettino and striker Harry Kane.

Both talked up the importance of picking up all three points against the Germans, not just to get their Champions League campaign off to a positive start but to put an end to all the talk of their temporary new home being cursed.

Victory against a talented but profligate Dortmund side, courtesy of a couple of Kane strikes and one from Son Heung-min to open the scoring, was just the second the Lilywhites have claimed at Wembley in 12 attempts stretching back nearly a decade since it opened.

They must now prove that they can perform in the vast bowl when it comes to league matches as, after losing late on to rivals Chelsea and somehow throwing away two points against Burnley, they cannot afford to slip up in any more of their winnable home games.

The 1-1 draw against Burnley here really hit home how much of an impact playing games away from White Hart Lane will have on Spurs, at least for the time being while their new ground is being constructed, after going the whole of last season unbeaten to sign off in some style.

Pochettino's men have still failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 successive matches at Wembley, though, with Andriy Yarmalenko's belter extending that record on Wednesday evening; this for a team that kept the opposition out 17 times last term en route to the best defensive record in the division.

Spurs are very much back on track now, though, courtesy of a 3-0 win over Everton and the Champions League triumph against Dortmund, ensuring that they can put the disappointing results against Chelsea and Burnley to one side.

Starting slow is certainly nothing new as far as the North London outfit are concerned, while Kane has also notoriously taken time to find his shooting boots, failing to find the net for his club in the month of August.

The England international is up and running now alright, bagging a trio of braces in his last four matches for club and country, and special mention should also be reserved for Christian Eriksen who has 20 assists this calendar year - seven more than any other player in Europe's top five leagues.

Recent form in Premier League: WLDW
Recent form (all competitions): WLDWW


Swansea City

Paul Clement applauds during the Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Swansea City on August 26, 2017© Offside

Spurs have a nice run of fixtures to come home and away between now and the next international break early in October, beginning with the visit of a Swansea side who have yet to truly find their feet this term.

All looked positive following the 2-0 victory against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, but that result was cancelled out somewhat by the 1-0 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United in South Wales last weekend.

With a heavy loss to Manchester United and away draw against Southampton also thrown into the equation, it has been a fairly mixed start for the Swans in boss Paul Clement's first full campaign as a Premier League boss.

Clement is always keen to build on the positives, though, and after seeing his side record clean sheets in their last three games away from the Liberty Stadium, he will be hoping for another resolute defensive display on Saturday evening.

The former Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich chief has also had to contend with losing star men Fernando Llorente and Gylfi Sigurdsson, the former joining this weekend's opponents for a £14m fee, without truly replacing them in terms of proven quality.

Renato Sanches's high-profile arrival from Bayern may have got supporters excited on deadline day, as Clement tapped into his European contact list, but the Portugal Under-21s international had a debut to forget against Newcastle.

Zero shots and zero key passes completed, while also being dispossessed an incredible 23 times during his time on the field, it is looking likely that Sanches is more of a long-term project than short-term fix.

Time is never a factor on a manager's side, however, and while Clement is certainly under no risk of losing his job, he will be hoping that his side can at least truly click into gear in order to avoid another relegation scare.

Recent form in Premier League: DLWL
Recent form (all competitions): DLWWL


Team News

Fernando Llorente in action  during the Champions League game between Tottenham Hotspur and Borussia Dortmund on September 13, 2017© SilverHub

Tottenham boss Pochettino has no new injury concerns to contend with, though he still remains without Erik Lamela, Danny Rose, Georges-Kevin Nkoudou and Victor Wanyama.

Serge Aurier impressed on his debut against Dortmund and is now in line to make his Premier League bow on Saturday evening, with Kieran Trippier waiting in reserve if Pochettino opts for fresh legs due to the quick turnaround in games.

Spurs were without Dele Alli in the Champions League because of the three-match ban carried over from last season, meaning that he remains fit and ready to go in what will likely be a 3-4-2-1 formation - in-form striker Kane tasked with leading the way.

In terms of the visitors, they make the trip to the English capital without injured trio Ki Sung-yueng, Nathan Dyer and Kyle Bartley, the latter of whom has now been ruled out for the next three months.

Leon Britton could be welcomed back should he shake off a back injury in time, while Wilfried Bony - back at the Swans following unsuccessful spells with Manchester City and Stoke City - is another player pushing for a start.

Clement is likely to go with Tammy Abraham and Jordan Ayew up top, however, and attacking support will be provided by Sanches and Leroy Fer from a deeper position.

Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Lloris; Alderweireld, Sanches, Vertonghen; Aurier, Dier, Dembele, Davies; Eriksen, Alli; Kane

Swansea City possible starting lineup:
Fabianski; Naughton, Mawson, Fernandez, Olsson; Sanches, Clucas, Carroll; Fer; Ayew, Abraham


Head To Head

Tottenham have won 10 of their last 11 meetings with Swansea, scoring at least two goals in the last seven of those.

The Lilywhites were comfortable 5-0 winners the last time they faced off in North London in December 2016, but they left things late when winning 3-1 at the Liberty Stadium five months ago.

City have never actually managed to beat the Lilywhites in their 12 Premier League encounters, picking up points in just two of those matches.


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We say: Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Swansea City

Tottenham have returned from the international break feeling rejuvenated, seeing them overcome Everton and Borussia Dortmund to kick-start their campaign at home and in Europe. Now they will be looking for their first home victory of the campaign in the Premier League, and recent history suggests that Swansea could be in for a long evening.



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Paul Clement applauds during the Premier League game between Crystal Palace and Swansea City on August 26, 2017
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