Tottenham predicted line-up vs. Burnley: two major changes made as £26m star returns to starting XI

To look at Tottenham this season is to wonder whereabouts in the Premier League table they might be had they not been decimated by injury. After a stunning start under new manager Ange Postecoglou, Spurs underwent something of a wobble in form, but have since won four of their last five top flight outings, and now find themselves just outside the top four, but only six points behind leaders Liverpool.

This weekend, Tottenham put their Premier League duties to one side, however, when they host Burnley in the FA Cup third round on Friday night. Postecoglou will be quietly confident that his side can go further than they did last season, when Spurs were dumped out of the competition by then-Championship outfit Sheffield United in the fifth round.

For their part, the Clarets made it all the way to the quarter-finals before being unceremoniously thrashed 6-0 by eventual winners Manchester City at the Etihad. Erling Haaland scored a hat-trick that day.

But how will both sides line up when they face each other in north London on Friday night? We've taken a look at their respective team news and predicted XIs below...

Tottenham Team News

Tottenham could be missing as many as 11 players when they face Burnley in the FA Cup on Friday evening. Key names like darts enthusiast James Maddison and Cristian Romero remain sidelined for the foreseeable future, while a smattering of international talent, like Senegalese midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, Malian counterpart Yves Bissouma, and South Korean talisman Son Heung-min, could be absent for anywhere up to a month as the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup get ready to kick off.

There is slightly more positive news regarding summer signing Micky van de Ven, who has been out of action since sustaining a hamstring injury against Chelsea in November. Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Postecoglou said: “Micky van de Ven has trained with us, he's been involved for three sessions. Not sure about tomorrow and whether he'll be involved or not.”

Elsewhere, young striker Alejo Veliz is set to face a lengthy spell on the treatment table after suffering a complaint in the closing stages of last weekend's win over Bournemouth. Speaking to the press, Postecoglou explained: "Unfortunately Alejo [Veliz] was a fairly significant injury. He had scans and it will keep him out for a couple of months.”

The Argentine joins a cluster of other long-term absentees, with the likes of Ryan Sessegnon, Ivan Perisic, Manor Solomon, and Alfie Whiteman no closer to first team comebacks. Spurs will be able to welcome Dejan Kulusevski back to the fold, however, with the Swede having served a suspension last time out.

Tottenham Predicted XI

Guglielmo Vicario; Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie; Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur; Brennan Johnson, Giovani Lo Celso, Dejan Kulusevski; Richarlison.

Burnley Team News

For their part, Burnley are relatively injury-free, but will still be without a handful of key players this weekend. Promising winger Luca Koleosho may not feature again this season as a consequence of a knee problem, while Hjalmar Ekdal is also expected to miss out.

Friday's match will come too soon for defender Jordan Beyer, but the German should be back in contention for his side's relegation six-pointer against Luton Town on January 15th, while experienced midfielder Jack Cork faces a late fitness test to determine his availability. Sander Berge was sent off in the Clarets' last outing, against Aston Villa, and is therefore suspended.

Burnley Predicted XI

Jack Trafford; Vitinho, Hannes Delcroix, Dara O'Shea, Charlie Taylor; Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Aaron Ramsey, Josh Brownhill, Wilson Odobert; Lyle Foster, Zeki Amdouni.