Tottenham Hotspur will look to make a winning start under Roberto De Zerbi when they travel to Sunderland in the Premier League on Sunday at 2pm.
Spurs begin life under their third different manager this season, after Igor Tudor’s ill-fated reign came to an end during the international break.
Tottenham predicted XI vs Sunderland
Tottenham (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Gray, Bentancur; Kudus, Simons, Tel; Solanke.
De Zerbi is tasked with dragging Tottenham clear of danger, with his new side just one point above the relegation zone. They’re facing the serious threat of playing Championship football next season.
First up for De Zerbi is a trip to the Stadium of Light to play 11th-placed Sunderland, who are still in with an outside chance of securing European qualification.
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Tottenham team news vs Sunderland
Guglielmo Vicario underwent surgery following the 3-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest before the international break. That means Antonin Kinsky should start in goal for the first time since he was infamously substituted after just 17 minutes against Atletico Madrid last month.
This game is also too soon for Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma. However, Spurs will hope to have Rodrigo Bentancur, Mohammed Kudus, Pape Sarr and Mathys Tel available.
Tottenham remain without long-term absentees James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Wilson Odobert.
Can De Zerbi hit the ground running?
The new boss certainly needs to do so to avoid Tottenham getting dragged further into relegation trouble.
Worryingly, De Zerbi failed to win any of his first five Premier League games in charge of Brighton. However, he ultimately turned things around with the Seagulls, a similarly slow start just will not do here.
On a brighter note, he has won his first league game in charge at three of his last four clubs (Sassuolo, Shakhtar Donetsk and Marseille).
Also, just one of Tottenham’s last 10 managers have lost their first Premier League match at the helm. Although that was Tudor (losing 4-1 against Arsenal in February).
Tottenham are in terrible form. They’re without a win in 13 league games. They’ll welcome the opportunity to face Sunderland, who they are unbeaten against in 15 top-flight meetings since a 3-1 defeat in April 2010.
Spurs are also better on the road. They’ve claimed two thirds of their league points this season away from home (20 out of 30). So that will encourage them — as will the fact their opponents are on a three-game losing streak at the Stadium of Light.