Tottenham receives Ajax in the first game of the Champions League
(EFE) – A Tottenham hit by the losses of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son receives this Tuesday, in the first leg of the Champions League semi-finals, an Ajax that has surprised all of Europe with his game and has the advantage having had four days of rest more than his rivals.
Tottenham is beginning to pay in the Premier League for European excesses. The Spurs have lost two of their last three home games, including the last against the West Ham Unitd which meant the first loss in the new White Hart Lane.
The loss of Harry Kane, injured in an ankle, in the first leg against Manchester City in the quarterfinals has meant a blow in the scoring plane and, despite the thrashing against Huddersfield on April 14 (4-0), Tottenahm did not score against City (1-0) or against West Ham (0-1). Only a little desperate and in the last moments of Christian Eriksen against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The absence of Kane has led Mauricio Pochettino to experiment with the figure of the false ‘nine’ and give that position to the Brazilian Lucas Moura. However, the Argentine coach has also tried to get Fernando Llorente from the start and even Vincent Janssen as a revulsive, when he had not relied on the Dutch striker, who was close to leaving the Hammers.
Therefore, Llorente is emerging as the clearest option to lead up to Tottenham, being the first leg, at home and without many opportunities to go out against the next week as may happen in Amsterdam.
Heung-Min Son of South Korea will also be penalized this season, one of the main tricks this season of the London team. In place will be the Brazilian Lucas Moura.
Neither Serge Aurier nor Moussa Sissoko will be there, while Dele Alli already had minutes against West Ham and will be able to start from the start.
These are the second semifinals in the maximum European competition for Tottenham, which already came to this instance in the 1961-1962 season, when they fell to Benfica.
Ajax is more rested than its rival. The Dutch Football Federation postponed all games last weekend to prevent the Amsterdam team from playing on Sunday, so it will jump to the grass of London having enjoyed seven days of rest, compared to the three that the team has had by Mauricio Pochettino.
The Dutch team, which is surprising both locals and strangers due to the high quality of its game, traveled to England on Monday in one of the sweetest moments of its history, since 22 years later it returns to participate in a Champions League semifinal. leader of the Eredivisie to two games of the end of the season and finalist of the Dutch Cup.
In spite of the intensity of the season, Erik ten Hag will be able to count on almost all his men for the match against Tottenham, because initially he does not have any important losses.
The coach was surprised to include Noussair Mazraoui, the side that injured his ankle two weeks ago in the quarterfinals against Juventus, but seems to be recovered.
His substitute Jöel Vetman has played a good role in the right wing in recent games, so if the Moroccan is fully available, Ten Hag must decide who plays home.
It is assumed that on the left side will return the Argentine Nicolás Tagliafico, who missed the game of Milan by accumulation of cards, while the pair formed by Daley Blind and Matthijs de Ligt would complete the defensive line.
If Ten Hag opts for the formula that served to eliminate Real Madrid and Juventus, he will draw a 4-2-3-1 with Frenkie de Jong, the brain of the team, and Lasse Schöne a few meters ahead of the central.
Later David Neres would be on the left, Donny van de Beek in the center and Hakim Ziyech on the right, while Dusan Tadic would be poised as false nine.
– Probable alignments:
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris; Rose, Vertonghen, Alderweireld, Trippier; Dier, Eriksen, Wanyama; Alli, Lucas Moura, Fernando Llorente
Ajax: Onana; Tagliafico, Blind, De Ligt, Veltman; De Jong, Schöne; Neres, Van de Beek, Ziyech; Tadic