3 Tottenham players who need to impress Jose Mourinho against Ludogorets

Tottenham Hotspur face Ludogorets in the Europa League after a big win against Man City at the weekend.

Spurs currently sit top of the Premier League, having won six of their nine matches to date and haven’t lost in that competition since the opening day of the season.

In the Europa League, Jose Mourinho’s side sit top of Group J on six points from three matches ahead of their match against the bottom side.

With a big London derby against former club Chelsea to come at the weekend, the Portuguese boss is expected to shuffle his talented squad.

All of the players given a chance on Thursday will be keen to perform well, but which ones really need to go out and make a statement?

Here are our 3 Tottenham players who need to impress Jose Mourinho against Ludogorets in the Europa League…

3. Giovani Lo Celso

If you’ve seen the Amazon documentary then you know that Jose Mourinho has been impressed with how Lo Celso has settled at Spurs. However, in recent matches, the Argentina international has had to settle for substitute appearances with the three of Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg performing so well. Lo Celso needs to take every opportunity he can to work his way back into the Portuguese coach’s ‘first XI’. He took that opportunity when he came on to score against Man City at the weekend and Thursday’s match against Ludogorets will provide him with yet another chance to shine.

2. Harry Winks

Game time is so important for any player but especially those competing for a place in their country’s squad at next summer’s Euros. That is exactly the situation Harry Winks is finding himself in. A regular at the back end of last season, the England international has had to be patient this term since the arrival of Hojbjerg from Southampton. In fact, the 24-year-old has only played 257 minutes of Premier League football this term and hasn’t got on the pitch since the 3-3 draw with West Ham in mid-October. Winks has started all three Europa League games though and will aim to continue to use the competition as a platform to break back into the Mourinho’s plans.

1. Gareth Bale

Every Premier League fan, except those on the red side of North London, were probably excited by the prospect of Gareth Bale returning to Spurs. Despite flashes of brilliance, the Welshman has yet to fully ignite back at the club. The fact Tottenham are winning has allowed Mourinho to be careful with the forward who had some fitness issues when he signed. However, the 31-year-old will now be determined to try and force his way into the starting XI on a regular basis after not even coming on as a sub against Man City. Don’t be surprised to see the man on loan from Real Madrid hit the back of the net on Thursday.