Kourtney Hause is liable to getting caught out at the back, while John McGinn is unlikely to be able to control midfield against Chelsea’s box-shape quartet. What’s more, even if Villa dominate for spells one would expect N’Golo Kante, playing to the right of centre, to snap at Grealish’s heels.
Brendan Rodgers switched from a 3-4-1-2 to a 3-4-2-1 for the midweek defeat to Chelsea in an attempt to crowbar James Maddison back into the team, but that badly disrupted their ability to press high.
They were dominant for the final half hour after the Leicester manager moved back to the 3-4-1-2 – and that should worry Tottenham fans. It seems likely that this cohesive, well-coached, and battling Leicester team will outwit an under-coached Spurs in every area of the pitch.
If Villa can do that, then Leicester should be well on top. Ryan Mason has struggled to find a central midfield that works, and his refusal to play Tanguy Ndombele has left Tottenham flat and lifeless in this zone of the pitch, unable to progress the ball towards Dele Alli with speed or confidence.
Leicester’s Youri Tielemans and Wilfried Ndidi ought to capitalise on this, poaching the ball and setting Jamie Vardy and Kelechi Iheanacho in behind.
The main danger for Leicester is their slight disorganisation among the back three while Jonny Evans is out. Timothy Castagne is the latest to fill in at right centre-back but he was not effective against Chelsea, which hands Son Heung-min and Harry Kane the chance to combine down the left – as they love to do – and pile pressure onto Leicester’s weak spot.
With Spurs wide open and playing vague Pochettino-esque attacking football, and with Leicester a little emotional in front of their fans, this is likely to be a high-scoring game that ultimately goes in the hosts’ favour.
All the momentum is with Liverpool and Roy Hodgson’s deep-lying, narrow 4-4-2 just isn’t the right tactical approach to beat a Jurgen Klopp team in full flow.
First of all, Eberechi Eze’s injury has dramatically hindered Palace’s ability to break quickly in the dribble, which should mean they are pushed back for long periods, but more important than that is the renewed influence of Thiago and Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Thiago was the best player on the pitch in each of Liverpool’s past two games, dominating statistically in passes, chances created, tackles, and touches of the ball.
He has added bite and anticipation to his game as he begins to understand the rhythms of English football, while those brilliantly disguised line-splitting passes are helping Liverpool to pin their opponents in their own third. Alongside Fabinho, Thiago keeps Liverpool surging on.
That will be magnified in front of a home crowd and, assuming the hosts dominate territory, Alexander-Arnold can be the hero.
Crystal Palace are regularly guilty of being too narrow in their defensive shell, and on Sunday they will leave the flanks completely open as their full-backs track Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah. It will only take simple diagonals for Alexander-Arnold to get on the ball in space and win Liverpool the game.
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at and .