Spurs Roll the Dice Again as Palace Name Wharton in Midfield

Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace have confirmed their starting XIs for Saturday's Premier League meeting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and the two shapes tell the story of the afternoon before a ball is kicked.

Spurs line up in a 4-2-3-1. Antonín Kinský starts in goal. Archie Gray is in the XI. Crystal Palace set up in a 3-4-2-1, with Adam Wharton in the side. Andrew Robertson and Axel Disasi also start.

Tottenham's 4-2-3-1 asks the two holding midfielders to screen a back four that has been the subject of most of the pre-match discussion. Gray's inclusion in that structure is the selection that will draw the most attention: he is being asked to play in front of the defence rather than in it, and the 4-2-3-1 only works if the two central midfielders can cover the width of the pitch when Palace's wing-backs push on.

The shape also means Spurs will have a natural front four. The 4-2-3-1 gives them a No. 10 behind a lone striker and two wide players, which is the configuration the club has leaned on for much of the season. The question the XI poses is whether the double pivot can protect the centre-backs against a Palace side that will look to play through the middle rather than around it.

Crystal Palace's 3-4-2-1 is a different proposition. The back three allows the wing-backs to advance without leaving the centre-backs exposed, and the two No. 10s behind the striker give Palace a way to overload the half-spaces that Spurs' 4-2-3-1 leaves open when the full-backs push forward.

Wharton's presence in the middle is the key to making that work. In a 3-4-2-1, the central midfielders have to cover a lot of ground and progress the ball quickly; Wharton is the player Palace trust to do both. If he can find the two No. 10s between Spurs' midfield and defensive lines, Palace will be able to attack the back four before it is set.

The two XIs point to a game decided in central areas. Spurs have chosen a 4-2-3-1 that depends on the double pivot holding its shape; Palace have chosen a 3-4-2-1 that depends on Wharton and his midfield partner winning the middle and feeding the two No. 10s.

Kinský starts in goal for Spurs. Robertson and Disasi start for Palace. Gray starts for Spurs. Wharton starts for Palace. Those are the names the two managers have committed to, and they are the names that will determine whether the shapes hold or break.

Kick-off is at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Premier League fixture is the latest chapter in a season that has already produced more questions than answers for both clubs, and the team sheets have done nothing to simplify the picture.