Highlights
Tottenham could make two changes, depending on the fitness of Pedro Porro and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Archie Gray could make first Spurs start at home to Everton.
Toffees likely to make changes after 3-0 home defeat at the hands of Brighton.
Tottenham Hotspur host Everton in their first home Premier League fixture of the 2024/25 campaign. Both sides are looking for a first win of the season after Spurs were pegged back by newly-promoted Leicester City with Everton suffering a galling 3-0 loss at home to Brighton and Hove Albion.
Both sides look like making changes for the fixture as Ashley Young was sent off for Everton in the 3-0 loss at Goodison Park while Spurs are monitoring Rodrigo Bentancur following his substitution with a head injury at the King Power Stadium. With a first victory of the campaign up for grabs, here's all the latest team news and predicted starting line-ups for Ange Postecoglou and Sean Dyche's sides.
Tottenham Team news
Porro an injury worry after grabbing goal at Leicester
Two main injury concerns prevailed over Tottenham following their disappointment at the hands of Leicester City, those being over the heads of midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur and right back Pedro Porro.
Bentancur was withdrawn following a nasty head collision while defending a Leicester corner and was taken away from the field of play on a stretcher, being replaced by young debutant Archie Gray, a summer arrival from Leeds United. Officials at the King Power Stadium reported back that Bentancur was in a stable position following the clash, but meanwhile is unlikely to be risked in Spurs' next battle with Everton.
Porro, who joined for £39.7m in January 2023, picked up a knock in the games latter stages, and was subsequently withdrawn with Djed Spence taking his place on the right of the defence. Though Porro's injury is not expected to be severe, his selection against Everton is at risk.
Meanwhile, Yves Bissouma is unlikely to make his way back into the squad, after the club suspended him following the release of footage of him inhaling laughing gas. The club handed him a self-imposed one-game ban for the incident, but it remains to be seen as to whether or not Ange Postecoglou will return him into the first team fold.
In terms of other selections, Tottenham may opt for a pack reshuffle, given their failure to defeat Leicester despite their dominance. One notable omission of the squad to face The Foxes was Dejan Kulusevski. The Swede was left to settle for a cameo off of the bench on Monday night, despite a strong pre-season.
Tottenham Predicted XI
Gray to make first start for Spurs
With two notable hits to the side following Spurs' disappointing result against Leicester City, the two players who came on to replace Porro and Bentancur may be in line to make their first ever starts for the club.
The opportunity will likely be a huge one for Djed Spence in particular. The right-back, signed from Middlesbrough in 2023 after a fantastic loan season with Nottingham Forest, has only played a handful of minutes in his Tottenham career so far, spending time out on loan at Genoa, Rennes and Leeds United since. With Porro unlikely to be risked, and with Spence taking his place on Monday night, he may get the chance to impress against Everton.
Archie Gray may also be in contention for his first ever Premier League start, having displayed his young composure in his cameo at the King Power Stadium as a replacement in the 78th minute for Bentancur. The Uruguayan was in a stable condition soon after the game, but is unlikely to be risked, potentially paving the way for the youngster to make a starting impression.
Elsewhere in the side, Kulusevski's absence from the Monday night squad was missed, following a strong pre-season for the Swede. Though Welsh winger Brennan Johnson looked spirited enough against Leicester, the extra dynamism and control brought by Kulusevski may be preferred by Postecoglou against the Toffees.
Everton Team News
Branthwaite still on the sidelines
Many injury concerns were present for Everton were present even before their loss against Brighton, with star defender Jarrad Branthwaite being left on the shelf alongside the likes of James Garner, Seamus Coleman and Nathan Paterson.
With three players listed there who can fill in at right-back, the red card shown to Ashley Young for his last-man haul-down of Kaoru Mitoma will have done Sean Dyche few favours, with Mason Holgate likely to be the only man available to fill the position in, save for a brave formation change by Dyche. With Young out, there will be a likelihood for Holgate to take his place if he is deemed to be well enough for it.
Everton Predicted XI
Dyche to make changes
A bold prediction, perhaps, but given Everton's toothless opening day performance, we foresee Sean Dyche bringing changes in against Tottenham.
Holgate will occupy the full-back position in the absence of Young, while new signings Iliman Ndiaye and Jesper Lindstrom were both in the squad against Brighton, with the former coming on in the place of Dominic Calvert-Lewin, who didn't have his greatest day in front of goal, and showing his grit in search of an appearance.
A spark in ideas may be needed, so it wouldn't be too surprising to see both players get their first starting opportunities for the Toffee's, with Abdoulaye Doucoure making his way deeper into the midfield, and with Calvert-Lewin dropping out.
Dwight McNeil and Jack Harrison may keep their places on the wings, with Idriss Gueye joining Doucoure in the engine room. With Branthwaite out, James Tarkowski was joined in the heart of the defence by Michael Keane, and with Branthwaite not likely to return anytime too quickly, we expect that again with Vitaliy Mykolenko and Jordan Pickford setting up the rest of the wall.