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Think you know who Tottenham Hotspur is planning to start in tomorrow's Europa League tie against Monaco? Well, then please share with the class, but right now nobody's really sure of anything. The projected starting 11 for the match at the Stade Louis II is an open question, as we're not even fully sure who all has travelled. But based on available evidence, we can make some suppositions and maybe, just maybe, suss out a possible first 11.
First, Tottenham tweeted a few photos today with various players by the team plane and on the pitch in Monaco.
Pre-activation work behind one of the goals at the Stade Louis II. #COYS pic.twitter.com/YTtpB5Ei9f
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 30, 2015
The three @BelRedDevils have adopted @Vorm_Official for the trip & are ready for Monaco! #COYS pic.twitter.com/lZrgq6D9cr
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 30, 2015
Ready for Monaco. @andros_townsend and @dele_alli36 in the sunshine just before boarding. #COYS #UEL pic.twitter.com/NrvijxgzTM
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) September 30, 2015
So if you squint and cock your head slightly, especially in the top photo, you can get a pretty good indication of who's travelled to the principality. Michel Vorm, Hugo Lloris, Jan Vertonghen, Toby Alderweireld, Nacer Chadli, Clinton N'Jie, Harry Kane, Kieran Trippier, Andros Townsend, Tom Carroll, Dele Alli, Josh Onomah, and Harry Winks are all clearly distinguishable. I think I see a Kevin Wimmer-shaped blur in there as well, which would make sense.
Plus then, there's this tweet from Lyall Thomas:
Son has not travelled to #Monaco and neither has Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb, Mousa Dembele or Alex Pritchard. N'Jie in line to start. #THFC
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) September 30, 2015
Aha! So if Clinton's starting, that means that Harry Kane will likely start the match as he did against Qarabag: on the bench. With Son injured, that implies that either Clinton, Chadli, or Onomah will start up top against Monaco, and if I had to guess, I'd say we'll probably see Clinton get the nod.
Apart from that, we really have no clue what to expect, so let's make some educated guesses. I'd guess we'll see Tom Carroll start in central midfield, likely beside Eric Dier who seems immune to injury and fatigue. Though he wasn't photographed, one would think Danny Rose will likely start along with Kieran Trippier on the defensive flanks. Monaco away is a tricky tie, so it wouldn't surprise me to see Lloris start in goal.
All that said, I'm most likely way off base. This isn't quite the same thing as matches against Arsenal and Manchester City, but Poche seems to be prioritizing the league over Europa League group stages. That said, if putting out a strong team means Spurs could take six from six in their first two group stage matches, it also wouldn't surprise me to see a few more regular starters in the first 11.
So here's my "I'm Probably Totally Wrong About This But Whatever" lineup prediction for tomorrow. Go ahead and mock me, and share your predicted lineup in the comments below!