Tottenham team news: Two formation options against Ajax

Jan Vertonghen is set to return to the Tottenham side to face his former club Ajax in the Champions League semi-final first leg after missing defeat to West Ham on Saturday.

The defender has enjoyed a stellar Champions League campaign, turning in one of Spurs’ best performances of the season in the last 16 against Dortmund.

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His return to fitness, along with the absences of forwards Harry Kane (injury), Son Heung-min (suspension) and Vincent Janssen (ineligible) plus a lack of fully fit midfielders, gives Mauricio Pochettino plenty to think about.

Option one: 4-2-3-1

Pochettino has opted for a back four throughout most of this season, with Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld at the centre of defence, Danny Rose or Ben Davies at left-back and Kieran Trippier or Serge Aurier at right-back.

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With Harry Winks out and Moussa Sissoko still recovering from injury, Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama are the only fully fit options to start in the centre of midfield.

Playing both men would give the midfield a ponderous, immobile feel to it so Pochettino is more likely to go for one and hope Sissoko can get through the 90 minutes.

With the aforementioned Son, Kane and Janssen also out, that leaves a dearth of options going forward.

In a 4-2-3-1, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are shoo-ins for the spots in behind the striker which is almost certain to be Fernando Llorente. That leaves one other attacking spot which could be taken up by Lucas Moura.

Option two: 3-4-3

Alternatively Pochettino could revert to a back three, a tactic he used with success against Dortmund, in a bid to better counter Ajax’s own 4-2-3-1 system.

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That formation would most likely see Vertonghen, Alderweireld and Davinson Sanchez – all Ajax old boys – line up at the centre of defence with Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier as wing-backs.

Spurs could then stick with a more mobile attacking unit comprised of Dier and Sissoko in midfield with Eriksen and Alli ahead of them and Moura as a false nine with the option of bringing Llorente off the bench for a bit of mayhem late on.