A depleted Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action this weekend against Cardiff City at Wembley. Spurs worked hard but were ultimately outclassed by Barcelona in the Champions League. Cardiff City are yet to win a game this season and are already favourites for a swift return to the Championship. Last Word on Football looks forward to the Saturday 3 PM clash.
Depleted Tottenham Hotspur Face Cardiff City
Tottenham have had an indifferent start to the Premier League season. An unbeaten start, including a 3-0 win over Manchester United, showed Spurs as top four favourites once again. Mauricio Pochettino warned against complacency. The warning wasn’t heeded and Spurs were poor against Watford, losing 2-1. Tottenham then threw away a lead in the Champions League at Inter Milan. Suddenly, a bright start was replaced with manager rants and lethargic performances.
Spurs beat Huddersfield 2-0 before a 4-2 defeat in the Champions League to Barcelona on Wednesday night. Spurs’ injury concerns have mounted and the lack of transfer activity in the summer is looking misguided.
Five Missing
Jan Vertonghen, Moussa Dembele, Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli, and Serge Aurier are out with injuries. Erik Lamela, Eric Dier and Harry Winks are expected to start with Heung Min Son and Lucas Moura likely to join Harry Kane in attack.
Cardiff Looking for First Win
Cardiff have found life hard back in the top flight and Neil Warnock’s men are yet to win a game. Warnock has a good record of getting teams out of the Championship with a record eight promotions. When it comes to managing in the Premier League, his record is not as prolific.
Warnock will be looking for a point against a depleted Tottenham Hotspur but that looks an unlikely scenario. However, with Spurs missing key players, maybe this is a good time to take on Spurs for the Bluebirds.
Prediction
Cardiff have looked short on firepower and it is hard to see anything but a Spurs win, even with key personnel missing. Spurs will face sterner tests when injuries could cause issues but a 3-0 win for Pochettino’s men should keep them in the top four.
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