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Tottenham Hotspur return to FA Cup action today, as they travel to Deepdale to face Preston North End.

The Lancashire outfit are enjoying a solid season thus far, and are just two wins away from potentially occupying the third spot in the Championship.

Meanwhile, Antonio Conte’s side have struggled to find their rhythm, and as such have fallen off the pace in their race for the top four.

With a desire to earn their place in the hat for the next round, but an awareness that another clash with Manchester City waits on the horizon, there are likely to be plenty of changes to the side that narrowly beat Fulham on Monday.

Bearing that in mind, this is their predicted XI for today’s cup clash…

Predicted Spurs XI (3-4-3): Fraser Forster (GK); Cristian Romero (CB), Eric Dier (CB), Clement Lenglet (CB); Matt Doherty (RWB), Oliver Skipp (CM), Yves Bissouma (CM), Ryan Sessegnon (LWB); Arnaut Danjuma (RW), Harry Kane (ST), Richarlison (LW).

Conte is expected to make a mammoth eight changes from their last match.

Having struggled for form of late, Hugo Lloris will benefit from a rest whilst Fraser Forster takes his place. Perhaps it will allow the Frenchman some time to recuperate after his back-to-back blunders against Arsenal and the Cityzens.

The back three that will sit in front of him will likely be well-changed too, but Cristian Romero is expected to remain at the heart of it.

His experience and quality will be needed to deal with the threat that their hosts could possess, and he will be joined by Eric Dier and Clement Lenglet.

Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon will flank the three centre-backs.

That leaves a completely revamped midfield, as Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg drop out for Oliver Skipp and Yves Bissouma.

This marks a huge opportunity for the latter to stake his claim for a starting spot.

Despite rumours of Harry Kane suffering from illness, his desire to play will likely see him lead the line.

He is expected to be supplemented by Richarlison and the new man Arnaut Danjuma, who joined the north London outfit on Thursday after snubbing Everton at the eleventh hour.

Dubbed a “nightmare for defenders” by former Premier League marksman Kevin Phillips, he will hope to mark his full debut with an impressive display as he replaces the disappointing Heung-min Son.

With just four league goals to his name after 19 games, the wide man faces a similar struggle to Lloris in a desperate bid to regain form. Korean football journalist Jason Lee even admitted that the 30-year-old had been “underperforming” this season.

Perhaps this rest and the addition of a new face could now spur him into action for the second half of the campaign.

James Maw of The Athletic claims that Djed Spence could have some form of future with Tottenham Hotspur despite a loan move to Stade Rennes last month.

The Lowdown: Spence makes loan move

Spence left Antonio Conte’s side this month and will be on loan with the Ligue 1 outfit until the end of the season.

The deal contains no obligation or option to buy for Rennes, meaning he will definitely head back to north London at the end of the season.

Tottenham only bought the player last summer, but he’s struggled for game time this season. Spence has only featured four times for Spurs in the Premier League.

The Latest: Maw makes Spence claim

Speaking to The View From The Lane podcast, Maw claimed that the straight loan is not something you see often in football nowadays and claims the player will be at Spurs next season.

He stated (22:24), “It’s quite rare that you’ll see a loan deal like this with no option or obligation these days. Normally, it will come with one or the other.

“So maybe that’s quite telling the fact that there this is an expectation that he’ll be back at Tottenham next season, and that things will suddenly be different.”

The Verdict: An uncertain future

We believe that if Spence is to have some sort of future with Tottenham, then he’ll have to really impress on loan at Rennes between now and the end of the season.

A straight loan certainly indicates that Spurs have no intention of letting him go immediately, but in our view, there’s one factor around his Spurs move that is a concern.

Conte claimed that signing the 22-year-old was not his decision, it was the club who saw him as an ‘investment’ and not the Italian.

This could mean that the full-back will have to make a massive statement if he’s to impress Conte, he could be harder to impress if he wasn’t signed by him specifically.

What could work in his favour is if Conte leaves at the end of the season when his contract runs out, a new manager may give Spence more opportunities in the first-team next season.

Ex-footballer Trevor Sinclair labelled Spence as ‘the real deal’ when he joined the club after his loan spell with Nottingham Forest.

He told TalkSport that he ran Arsenal players Kieran Tierney and Gabriel Martinelli ‘ragged’ in an FA Cup match last season.

Spence has bags of potential and shown what talent he has last season, but he needs to grasp this loan opportunity with both hands if he is to have a long-term future at Spurs under Conte or another manager.

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will stay at the club until at least the end of his project at Parkhead, according to Anthony Joseph.

The Lowdown: Postecoglou at Celtic

Since arriving shortly after the 2020/21 season had finished and Rangers had waltzed their way to the SPFL title in some style, finishing on 102 points and going the whole campaign unbeaten, Postecoglou has turned the tide back in Glasgow.

He’s won 69 out of 95 games in charge along the way to reclaiming the league title last year and winning the Scottish League Cup, with them currently nine points clear at the summit this time round and in the final of the Scottish League Cup once again.

The Latest: Joseph’s claim

Early in January, The Scottish Sun reported that Postecoglou was on a shortlist of potential Everton managers before Frank Lampard’s sacking, as his accomplishments in Scotland make him an attractive prospect for Premier League sides.

However, speaking on The Celtic Exchange, the Sky Sports reporter claimed that the Australian is committed to the project he’s started at Parkhead and willing to see it through, saying:

(1:09:57) “If it was in the summer and a massive club came in for him I think he would (leave), if it was someone like Leicester (City) or Southampton or something like that even Everton, I don’t think so.

“I get that feeling that he is very honest, he’s very upfront, he very much sees that he’s in a very privileged job to be managing in Europe at a huge club.

“I’m not saying he won’t eventually leave, I think he’ll stay out to see what he feels is the end of the project, I don’t think two seasons is that.”

The Verdict: Not another Rodgers

Given Joseph’s claims, it seems unlikely that the Australian would follow suit of Brendan Rodgers’ controversial exit and head south of the border, just as the Northern Irishman did in 2019 to join Leicester.

With Rodgers previously managing Swansea City and Liverpool in the Premier League the feeling of unfinished business in England with a Leicester side who were champions just four years prior, paired with two league titles won at Celtic, meant his departure was seemingly inevitable.

However, with Postecoglou earning his stripes in Australia and Japan in various roles, he doesn’t hold that unfinished business desire in the Premier League such as Rodgers, meaning an eventual exit in more ceremonial circumstances is much more likely.

Liverpool have rarely got it wrong during Jurgen Klopp’s tenure so far, from the development and reinvestment in the squad to the tactics on the pitch that the club has enjoyed in recent years.

Alas, the successful squad at Anfield has turned stale this season, but there is little dispute that the club built one of the most talented teams that the Premier League has ever seen, with former sporting director Michael Edwards and the manager working together to develop a team which has dominated domestically and in Europe.

Liverpool have won an FA Cup, Carabao Cup and their first-ever Premier League title over the last five years, also reaching three Champions League finals during that time, winning one of those.

One of the catalysts in the club’s ability to land some of the hottest prospects in world football was the sale of Philippe Coutinho back in 2018, when the Merseysiders took the big risk in selling one of their superstars to Barcelona for £142m, and there is no doubt that they struck gold with the move.

FSG are renowned for their strict and tight budgets when it comes to transfers – unlike certain competitors – and will only spend wisely when they have sold players first. Coutinho’s sale facilitated an opportunity to invest in both Alisson Becker and Virgil van Dijk for a combined £142m, giving Liverpool two of the most important players in their successful era under Klopp.

Letting go of the Brazilian playmaker was a brave decision, as he was one of the best-performing players in the team at the time. He amassed 201 appearances, 54 goals and 45 assists during his five years  at Anfield, with a goal contribution every 150 minutes.

However, with the player reportedly refusing to train and play in crucial games for the club shortly before he was sold, their hands were tied, and Liverpool duly had the last laugh.

Fast forward five years and Coutinho – who was dubbed a “big disappointment” by Shay Given – is now 30 years old and currently playing for Aston Villa, with his former Reds team-mate Steven Gerrard snapping up his services in a permanent deal last summer following an initial loan from Barcelona.

The Brazilian is now believed to be worth 94% less (€10m/£8.8m) than he was when Liverpool sold him and is struggling to make his mark in the Midlands this season. He fell out of favour in the team after Gerrard’s sacking and Unai Emery’s arrival, not featuring for more than 45 minutes in a league game since mid-October.

With that in mind, there is no doubt that Liverpool played an absolute blinder when they sold Coutinho, who is a fantastic example of the grass not always being greener on the other side for players who seek out ‘bigger’ moves.

As the deadline grew closer in the summer transfer window of 2021, Arsenal’s Ainsley Maitland-Niles only grew in frustration with his role at the club.

A lack of game time meant that he wanted a move away and he wanted it now, taking to Instragram to admit: “All I wanna do is go where I’m wanted and where I’m gonna play.”

It was thought that Everton were interested in a move but ultimately a move fell through and the now 25-year-old was forced to stay in north London until January having featured on just 11 occasions.

A temporary switch was finally forthcoming for Maitland-Niles at the beginning of 2022, joining none other than Jose Mourinho at Roma.

He failed to impress, however, starting just six times in Serie A, while he didn’t even make it off the bench in ten matches.

That left the Gunners man at a crossroads and now in the final year of his deal, joined Southampton on a season-long loan for 2022/23 where he has endured yet another mixed stint.

Does Maitland-Niles have a future at Arsenal?

The short answer to that question is a short one; no. It feels incredibly likely that the 5 foot 10 ace will be handed a new deal by Mikel Arteta, particularly after his outburst 18 months ago.

He did feature in pre-season for the Islington outfit but it would not be a surprise if those were his last appearances in the famous red and white of Arsenal. After all, his attitude and desire to play in midfield has ultimately seen him cast aside.

The Saints loanee has always lusted after playing in the centre of the park but ultimately, he hasn’t been good enough for that role.

50 of his career matches have seen him feature in the middle, as opposed to 44 as a right back and 87 as a right midfielder/right-wing back.

That was where Arteta saw a role for him and that is the position he is now thriving in for Southampton.

Why, you dare ask, does Maitland-Niles want to play in the middle, then? It’s a tricky question, because right now he’d be perfect in Arsenal’s system.

Their Spanish manager is now renowned for operating with inverted wing-backs, particularly on the left-hand side of his defence where Oleksandr Zinchenko will play down the left out of possession but will come inside when Arsenal have the ball.

Such is his influence that against Manchester United, the vast majority of his play (heat map via Sofascore below) saw him operate as an extra number 10 beside skipper Martin Odegaard and Granit Xhaka.

A player of a similar variety is missing on the right. Ben White is known for overlapping while Bukayo Saka cuts inside.

However, the Gunners have been targeting Ivan Fresneda of Real Valladolid, a right-back who could be the ‘next Zinchenko’ such is his ability to play inside.

That said, Edu and co could save millions by looking towards Maitland-Niles to fulfil that role in the future.

He will have to improve his performances and ultimately earn a new deal but his display against Chelsea last Saturday was a good starting point.

How did Maitland-Niles perform against Chelsea?

In what was described as his ‘best performance in a Southampton shirt’ by Hampshire Live’s Mark Wyatt, the full-back first bullied Joao Felix and Mason Mount before then completely bullying long-term Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk too.

The ex-West Brom loanee was vital in helping Saints earn a rare win and an ever-rarer clean sheet, acting as a colossus on the right-hand side of defence.

He made a whopping six tackles to stop Chelsea’s attack in their tracks, proving himself to be a phenomenal one-on-one defender.

Maitland-Niles won a further nine ground duels and won 100% of his aerial battles while also succeeding with three of his four dribbles and completing his one and only cross.

It was the complete performance from a man who now just needs to show a bit of consistency. Once dubbed a “Rolls-Royce” by Martin Keown, he lived up to that billing at the weekend, with Mount, Raheem Sterling and Mudryk who all occupied spaces on the left during the game completing just two of the nine dribbles they attempted between them.

The latter was introduced in the second half but was constantly met with a stern ‘you shalt not pass’ policy, stepping in to intervene and stop the Ukrainian speedster in his tracks.

It was a superb performance and one that should have Arteta taking notice. If only he could do it on a regular basis.

The media have ripped into Richarlsion for his display during Tottenham Hotspur’s London derby win.

The Lowdown: Tottenham back in the top four

The big news pre-match was that of Son Heung-min being dropped out of the starting lineup for only the second time in the Premier League this season with Richarlison taking his place.

That experiment only lasted 68 minutes, however, with the South Korean international being introduced deep into the second half after Richarlison failed to impress managing just 26 touches throughout.

While Tottenham were delighted to pick up a huge three points and capitalise on Newcastle United losing yesterday evening to see them jump into the top four, Richarlison’s worrying league form will be alarming as he’s still yet to find the back of the net in the league this season.

The Latest: Richarlison fails to impress

Richarlison’s performance was picked up by several people within the media that took in the London derby which will have left more questions about why Spurs splashed out £60 million on him over the summer.

Sky Sports’ Joe Shread – who was at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – insisted that Richarlison was showing rustiness when he struck an effort straight at Lukasz Fabianski as he said:

‘That was tame from Richarlison, with the Brazilian perhaps showing the rustiness of a player that hasn’t started a game club since before the World Cup.’

Luke McLaughlin of The Guardian was equally as unimpressed by that effort from Richarlison as he said: ‘It’s all a bit laboured, all slightly mistimed’

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Finally, George Sessions of the PA claimed that when the Brazilian was subbed off he looked rather ‘dejected’ at the decision.

The Verdict: Competition for places is key

While it certainly is always a bold decision to bench someone of Son’s calibre and ability, it always appeared to work as he’s been demoted twice in the league this term and it’s resulted in the winger netting four goals in those encounters.

The fact that he has netted once again would suggest that Richarlison will be set for a few more games starting on the bench because getting Son back to top form will be imperative for Tottenham.

However, he will know that the Spurs staff aren’t worried about benching him as they have a £60 million attacker as his backup, which may be what he needs to get him firing on all cylinders knowing that competition is very rife.

Aston Villa travel away to Goodison Park this afternoon as they take on Sean Dyche’s Everton in the Premier League with the aim of ending their current run of defeats.

Unai Emery’s side have lost their last three matches in the English top-flight and they now have the chance to get back to winning ways against the Toffees.

The Villans were beaten 4-2 by Arsenal at Villa Park in their last outing, despite going 1-0 and 2-1 up thanks to goals from Ollie Watkins and Philippe Coutinho.

Mikel Arteta’s men scored twice in stoppage time, through an Emi Martinez own goal and Gabriel Martinelli, and Emery could make some changes to his team from that match.

Here is how Villa could line up for the clash…

How will Aston Villa line-up against Everton?

Emery could make three alterations to his team in an attempt to get back to winning ways, with a change right across the pitch.

The first change could see Ashley Young replace Matty Cash after the Poland international struggled last weekend – losing five of his six duels and completing 71% of his passes.

The Englishman has won 65% of his battles and completed 76% of his passes in the Premier League this season and could, therefore, be more reliable on and off the ball in the right-back position by being strong in his physical contests and not gifting the ball back to the opposition as much.

In midfield, Jacob Ramsey could then come in to replace John McGinn to give the team an attacking boost.

The “terrific” 21-year-old – as dubbed by ex-manager Steven Gerrard – dynamo has produced eight goals and three assists in the division since the start of last season, whereas the Scotsman has only struck three times and does not offer as much quality in the final third.

Finally, Jhon Duran could finally enter the attack to start alongside Watkins at the top end of the pitch.

Emi Buendia produced an excellent dummy in the build-up to Coutinho’s goal against Arsenal but Football FanCast have recently published an article explaining why the Colombian international should start in his place, which is why the Argentine gem could be axed today.

Aston Villa predicted XI (4-2-2-2): Martinez; Young, Konsa, Mings, Moreno; Ramsey, Luiz, Kamara, Coutinho; Duran, Watkins.

Leeds United have reportedly expressed an interest in Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu.

The Lowdown: Calhanoglu profiled

The 29-year-old is primarily a central midfielder who can also line out as a holding or attacking midfielder if required.

The Turkey international holds a career-high €35m (£30.8m) Transfermarkt valuation and is out of contract in 2024. Captain of his national team, Calhanoglu has been plying his trade in Italy since 2017 and also has experience in the Bundesliga with Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen.

The Latest: Leeds interested in Calhanoglu

MOT Leeds News relayed an update from one Spanish outlet in the last 48 hours regarding Calhanoglu.

They claimed that Leeds, and by extension Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers Enterprises, have expressed an interest in the Turkish maestro along with Premier League relegation rivals Southampton. However, Inter see him as an important player and have set a €25m (£22m) price tag.

The Verdict: Shrewd target?

Leeds will need to remain in the Premier League to have any realistic chance of signing Calhanoglu, and if they do, he could be an extremely shrewd addition.

He has plenty of experience at the highest level for club (almost 500 appearances) and country (74 caps), contributing to 20 Serie A goals in 34 games last season.

Calhanoglu has been Inter’s second-best performer during the current campaign with an average match rating of 7.07/10 from WhoScored – a better rating than any Leeds player.

The versatile player has been called ‘absolutely sensational’ for his passing range by members of the media, and his experience could be beneficial at Elland Road alongside the likes of Marc Roca, Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie.

YouTuber Mark Goldbridge has damningly labelled Ruben Neves as less than a “Wish” version of Frenkie de Jong while discussing possible Manchester United transfers.

What’s the latest on Ruben Neves to Man United?

It seems as though the Wolves midfielder will likely leave his club this summer when his contract enters its final year. No doubt, plenty of clubs will be considering a summer move.

Man Utd may well be among the clubs linked with Neves. After all, their transfer interest in Barcelona midfielder De Jong suggests they want to upgrade their options in the middle of the park and the Red Devils have held interest of their own in windows gone by.

And so, if Erik ten Hag can’t land the Dutchman, perhaps the Wolves 25-year-old will be an alternative option. Asked whether the Portuguese midfielder would represent a decent backup plan on The United Stand, Goldbridge admitted it would be an upgrade on some current options, but didn’t seem that enthused by the idea.

He explained: “Ruben Neves is not even a Wish version of Frenkie de Jong. He is nowhere near as good.

“But I’d take him, because he’s better than Fred and [Scott] McTominay, but really, we want to get the best, don’t we?”

Is Frenkie de Jong better than Ruben Neves?

For those who don’t know, Wish is an online shopping company that is well-known – and has become a meme – for its lower-quality versions of products.

So to say Neves isn’t even the Wish version of De Jong is about as damning as you can get. And actually, when you compare their domestic stats (via FBref) this season, the gap isn’t quite as bad as Goldbridge makes out.

For instance, both have played league 25 games but with five goals Neves has three more than the Dutchman, while he’s also attempted and completed more tackles than De Jong – though this may be because Barcelona will have more possession than Wolves.

De Jong completes fewer passes but has a better per cent accuracy, with 89.4 compared to 83.1. He also completes more take-ons and ball carries, while picking up just two yellow cards compared to nine.

All in all, it’s fair to say the Dutch midfielder is probably the better player but it’s not as though there is necessarily a huge gap in their qualities and it’s likely both have the potential to come in and improve Ten Hag’s team if they arrive in the summer.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Adama Traore ‘has his eye’ on an exit this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Contrasting claims

The Spaniard’s contract is set to expire at the end of the Premier League season, and his future still remains uncertain following a mixture of reports stating different things.

The Athletic’s Steve Madeley recently claimed that while the 27-year-old isn’t currently holding any active extension talks he could still put pen to paper with an improvement to life under Julen Lopetegui.

However, February reports suggested that the winger was in fact close to agreeing a deal to join Napoli, and a definitive update on his future has now been provided.

The Latest: Jones’ verdict

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones insisted that Wolves would happily offer Traore a fresh deal but stated he is already considering his options elsewhere:

“Wolves would give Traore a new contract tomorrow if he wanted to stay. They would give him a big deal, no problem.

“But the fact a deal hasn’t been signed yet tells you everything you need to know and that’s that he has his eye on a transfer.”

The Verdict: Don’t let him go

Traore has been dubbed a ‘monster’ by Barcelona manager Xavi and it’s important that Wolves don’t let him leave in the summer should no potential suitor knock at his door.

The Midlands attacker has provided 19 assists and scored 14 goals since arriving at Molineux and proves to be a constant threat with his pace and physical strength (Transfermarkt).

Lopetegui’s speedster also ranks in the 97th percentile for most progressive carries and the 96th for aerial wins, showing that he can still be a long ball target despite not being the tallest of forwards (FBRef).

Finally, Traore has been played in seven different positions throughout his career, so offers excellent versatility should the boss ever want or need to switch things up on the field.