Ange Postecoglou to consider three Tottenham changes vs Man City amid Dejan Kulusevski question

All eyes are going to be on Tottenham's showdown against Man City on Tuesday evening with so much at stake in the Premier League. A game City need to win as they look to become Premier League champions for the fourth successive season, Tottenham also need the points when it comes to their European aspirations.

Still in with a shout of Champions League football, whether or not a top-four finish is still a possibility for Spurs will be confirmed on Monday evening when Aston Villa take on Liverpool. Victory for Unai Emery's side will guarantee their place at Europe's top table in the 2024/25 season but a draw or defeat and the Lilywhites will still have a glimmer of hope in regards to overtaking them.

Set for a quick turnaround after getting the better of Burnley on Saturday afternoon, Ange Postecoglou could possibly look to make a few changes here and there to his Tottenham XI to face Man City. football.london takes a look at possible alterations below.

Radu Dragusin/Emerson Royal for Oliver Skipp

Postecoglou made the decision to start Oliver Skipp at left-back in Saturday's win over Burnley following Emerson Royal's struggles against Liverpool a week earlier. The midfielder endured a mixed afternoon in the 2-1 victory, although that isn't entirely a surprise given it's not his natural position in the team.

Skipp was replaced by Radu Dragusin in the final 15 minutes of the contest, with the Romanian moving to centre-back and Micky van de Ven, who went on the score the winner, switching over to left-back. Speaking in his post-match press conference, Postecoglou revealed that he has been mindful of playing the Dutchman as a left-back due to his injuries this season and also because the demands of playing there are different to playing at centre-back.

If the head coach does want to go with Van de Ven at left-back from the first whistle against City, Dragusin could come into the side for only his third ever Tottenham start. If not, Postecoglou could persist with Skipp at left-back unless he believes the time is right for Emerson to come back in and play from the left.

READ MORE: Dane Scarlett's vital Tottenham impact and why he was unhappy with Cristian Romero vs Burnley

READ MORE: What Micky van de Ven told James Maddison just before he scored and why Vicario jumped on Romero

Rodrigo Bentancur for Pape Matar Sarr

Rodrigo Bentancur was back on the bench for Tottenham on Saturday but he came on for the final 15 minutes as Tottenham chased a winner against Burnley. Postecoglou was very pleased with what the 26-year-old produced in his cameo appearance and stated that the Uruguayan was "really good" in his pitch time.

Very much in and out of the Tottenham team since his return from injury on New Year's Eve, there's a fair chance Bentancur may indeed come back in to face Man City. Pape Matar Sarr will be the player most at risk if that is to be the case in Tuesday evening's game as Yves Bissouma and James Maddison impressed against Burnley.

Dane Scarlett for Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski is struggling for form at present and that leaves Postecoglou with a decision to make over the Swede heading into Tuesday's game. However, the issue for Spurs at present is they do not have a lot of attacking options to choose from due to Richarlison and Timo Werner's injuries.

Bryan Gil remains an option but he has only started two of his 11 appearances for Spurs this campaign. Postecoglou did turn to Dane Scarlett in the final 15 minutes of the Burnley contest and the young striker made an impact in what remained of the game as he had a key role to play in Van de Ven's winner following an intelligent run.

The introduction of Scarlett played into Son Heung-min's hands as it allowed him to revert to the left flank and try and influence proceedings late on after not getting so much joy through the middle. It would be a huge ask for Scarlett to start against Man City due to his lack of Premier League experience but it is a wildcard Postecoglou has up his sleeve if he wants to play it.

Even if he isn't to start, the head coach could throw him on once again in the closing stages after having a big say on the Burnley game on Saturday.

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