Predicted Tottenham XI vs MK Dons as Mateus Fernandes makes his Spurs debut

Wait 5 sec.

We have predicted how the Tottenham Hotspur XI could look against League One side MK Dons in a behind‑closed‑doors friendly at Hotspur Way.Attention has now fully turned to Tottenham Hotspur‘s first pre-season match of the summer as Roberto De Zerbi continues his work with the squad.At the moment, Spurs have a total of seven pre-season fixtures scheduled before the Premier League campaign gets underway later in August.First on that list is MK Dons, whom Tottenham are set to face in a behind-closed-doors friendly on Wednesday, 22 July. With the match only a few days away, we have put together our predicted XI ahead of the encounter.Photo by Luis Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty ImagesPredicted Tottenham XI vs MK Dons in pre-seasonGoalkeeper – Antonin Kinsky: The Czech goalkeeper missed the World Cup after undergoing surgery earlier this summer. Having now put pen to paper at Spurs, he appears set for a much bigger role, going from back-up to first-choice goalkeeper. With that in mind, we expect De Zerbi to start the young shot-stopper.Right-back – Archie Gray: Tottenham’s recognised right-backs are yet to return to pre-season after Pedro Porro and Djed Spence both reached the latter stages of the World Cup. With both absent, Gray should get the nod.Centre-back – Ashley Phillips: Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Jan Paul van Hecke, Kevin Danso and Marcos Senesi were all involved at the World Cup and have yet to return, so Phillips could line up at centre-back.Centre-back – Ben Davies: With limited options in central defence, we could see Ben Davies handed a place in the back four after signing a new deal this summer.Left-back – Destiny Udogie: We expect the Italian to line up at left-back, with De Zerbi hoping he can build match sharpness and fitness during pre-season.Defensive midfield – Mateus Fernandes: Tottenham supporters could get their first glimpse of one of the club’s record signings, with Fernandes expected to start at the base of midfield.Central midfield – Conor Gallagher: The club’s new number eight could be handed a start as De Zerbi opts for a three-man midfield.Attacking midfield – James Maddison: After missing most of last season with an ACL injury, Maddison will need as many minutes as possible this summer to build his fitness and regain match sharpness, so we expect him to start on Wednesday.Right wing – Mikey Moore: The youngster enjoyed an impressive spell on loan at Scottish side Rangers and has now returned to Hotspur Way for pre-season. We expect him to feature from the start.Striker – Dominic Solanke: This pre-season could be a significant one for the England international as Spurs continue to be linked with attacking reinforcements. He will be eager to impress De Zerbi.Left wing – Richarlison: Tottenham still have several wide players unavailable through injury, including Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus, while Randal Kolo Muani has returned to Paris Saint-Germain following his loan spell in north London. As a result, Richarlison could start on the left on Wednesday.Of course, we can expect pretty much every player currently in pre-season to play some part in the game. It is likely that De Zerbi will name two separate XIs in each half, meaning Sandro Tonali and co will probably start in the second 45.READ MORE: How to watch Tottenham vs MK Dons in pre-season: Team news, TV channel and predictionThe post Predicted Tottenham XI vs MK Dons as Mateus Fernandes makes his Spurs debut appeared first on Spurs Web.