Formation decision, trio make return - Thomas Frank's strongest Tottenham team vs Man City

Thomas Frank faces another awkward Tottenham test this weekend when his side visit Manchester City in Saturday's early kick-off. Prior to beating Burnley last weekend, Spurs came up against Paris Saint-Germain in the UEFA Super Cup final and gave the Champions League holders a real scare.

Tottenham looked destined to win the trophy having led 2-0 for 85 minutes before a late fightback from the French side sparked a remarkable turnaround. Frank did have a plan in place for the cup final and it almost paid off.

That may well be the case again on Saturday when his team travel north to the Etihad Stadium. The Dane is not a head coach who has a set formation and he will tinker his setup and tactics accordingly to the team they face.

READ MORE: Savinho breaks silence after Man City make final Tottenham transfer decision

READ MORE: Tottenham October fixtures revealed as Leeds, Aston Villa and Everton TV dates and times confirmed

During his time as Brentford boss last season, Frank utilised a back five when the Bees were defeated 2-1 in Manchester last September. In the return game in January, he opted for a 4-3-3 setup as the west London club registered a late point following a 2-2 draw.

Frank could choose to repeat the 4-2-3-1 formation he used in last Saturday's 3-0 win over Burnley as Richarlison hit a double and Brennan Johnson also got in on the act. The other option would be for him to revert to the system he used in the PSG game when he went with a back three and wing-backs, with Pape Matar Sarr offering support to Richarlison and Mohammed Kudus in attack.

Given City put four past Wolves at the weekend and they are extremely impressive going forward, a return to the back three could be what the 51-year-old opts for. That would mean Kevin Danso, who would take Johnson's place from last weekend, comes in to join Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven in the backline, with Pedro Porro and Djed Spence operating out wide.

In midfield, Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha will be leading the race to start after both dropping to the bench for the Burnley game. Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall would be the two players to miss out to accommodate the aforementioned pair.

Sarr will be the most advanced midfield player in this setup, giving him the chance to add to the threat of Richarlison and Kudus in attack as was the case in the Super Cup final.

Here is the strongest Tottenham XI to face Man City on Saturday:

Strongest Tottenham XI vs Man City: Vicario; Danso, Romero, Van de Ven; Porro, Bentancur, Palhinha, Sarr, Spence; Kudus, Richarlison.