Tottenham Hotspur cruised into the last-16 of the UEFA Europa League with a comfortable 4-0 win over Austrian outfit Wolfsberger at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday evening.
A brace from Brazilian striker Carlos Vinicius, a sublime strike from Dele Alli and a cooly dispatched effort from substitute Gareth Bale ensured Spurs would get their name in the hat first for Friday's last-16 draw, sealing an aggregate win of 8-1.
After Sunday's 2-1 Premier League defeat at the hands of West Ham United at the London Stadium, Jose Mourinho opted to make nine changes to his starting line-up, with only Eric Dier and Erik Lamela retaining their places within the team.
Whilst mass changes were always likely, with Spurs holding such a commanding lead from the first-leg in Hungary last week, those who did come into the side produced the goods when presented with an opportunity to impress.
Amongst those that impressed most was attacking-midfielder Dele, who stole the show with his sublime overhead-kick to fire Spurs 1-0 up before claiming a couple of assists, teeing up Vinicius for his first and Bale for Spurs' third goal of the night.
It was a fantastic display from the former MK Dons youngster and he sent a timely reminder to Mourinho that he still has a role to play in north London, despite having struggled to force his way into his plans this season.
In total, the England international has only made 17 appearances for Spurs this season, with only six of those coming in the Premier League. However, after wowing the Tottenham fan base with his outstanding showing against Wolfsberger, he has to be seen as a genuine contender to force his way into the starting line-up against Burnley on Sunday.
Admittedly, Wolfsberger were a team that Tottenham should be beating and beating convincingly, but to ensure Alli continues to head on the right path he needs to be continuously playing. You could argue that dropping him from the team against Burnley in a must-win Premier League encounter on Sunday would be very, very harsh.
But it is not just Dele who will be knocking on the door to make a claim for a starting berth this weekend, Bale will also be.
After stepping off the bench against the Hammers last weekend, the Wales international, who has scored two goals in his last two Europa League appearances, delivered a very encouraging and impressive performance, claiming the assist for Lucas Moura's consolation strike before rattling the crossbar with a thunderous effort that almost drew Spurs level.
Having played so well against the Hammers, many expected Bale to earn a starting berth against Wolfsberger. However, Mourinho named him on the bench, suggesting to almost everybody that he has done enough to bag his first Premier League start since the defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion last month.
Bale fuelled that theory even further after stepping off the bench to lash home Spurs' third against Wolfsberger, showing signs of promise that he can still have a big part to play between now and the end of the season.
Therefore, with Dele and Bale pushing for starts this weekend against Sean Dyche's Clarets, how could Spurs line-up with those two involved?
Hugo Lloris would return in goal after being replaced by Joe Hart. Serge Aurier and Sergio Reguilon are likely to return in the full-back positions whilst Toby Alderweireld could be partnered at centre-back by either Eric Dier or Davinson Sanchez.
Dier started the win over Wolfsberger, suggesting that he could be dropped against Burnley at the weekend, paving the way for Sanchez to return.
In the two defensive midfield roles, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Moussa Sissoko are likely to continue in those roles, with the former playing no part against Wolfsberger. Ahead of them, Bale could well replace Lamela on the right, Dele could come into the side in place of Tanguy Ndombele, but that would be harsh on the Frenchman who has improved massively this season, whilst Son Heung-min would return on the left.
Harry Kane would spearhead the forward line, replacing Vinicius, despite his two-goal haul.
Possible Tottenham team to face Burnley: Lloris; Aurier, Alderweireld, Sanchez, Reguilon; Hojbjerg, Sissoko; Bale, Alli, Son; Kane.
