Tottenham predicted team vs Sunderland - Roberto De Zerbi names surprising first starting XI

• 

• Spurs
• Tottenham Hotspur News
• Roberto De Zerbi

Here's the Tottenham team that we reckon the new head coach could select for his debut in the dugout for the north London club

Roberto De Zerbi is set to name his first Tottenham Hotspur starting XI for Sunday's Premier League game at Sunderland.

Spurs have seven games of the season remaining and are currently in big trouble down in 18th place in the table after West Ham's comprehensive 4-0 victory against Wolves. Now the 46-year-old has taken charge as the club's fourth head coach in nine months and has a team that is yet to win a league match in 2026.

They face a tough task at Sunderland, who have impressed this season under Regis Le Bris, have a decent home record and come into the game after their derby win at Newcastle before the international break.

Antonin Kinsky will be De Zerbi's first goalkeeper between the sticks with Guglielmo Vicario in the final stages of recovering from his hernia operation and the 23-year-old Czech stopper will be looking to put that night in Madrid far in his rear view mirror.

De Zerbi spoke about Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie in glowing terms in his first Spurs press conference on Friday and said he wants to recreate the quartet's impact in Ange Postecoglou's season so that looks likely to be his first choice back four.

FOLLOW OUR TOTTENHAM FB PAGE! Latest Spurs news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

He also named Dominic Solanke as another crucial senior player, while also praising various attackers and the midfield youngsters Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Xavi Simons. De Zerbi admitted that he had tried to sign Mathys Tel while at Marseille so he is someone he will look to further up the pitch.

He also had plenty of praise for Richarlison as well as Conor Gallagher with the Italian believed to have tried to sign the England international when he was Brighton head coach.

The Italian will likely go with his favoured 4-2-3-1, a system that Spurs used a lot over previous years, and it's going to be key for the new head coach to get the right blend and balance of players for it.

Here's the team we reckon De Zerbi might go with for his Tottenham debut:

Kinsky; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Gray, Gallagher; Kolo Muani, Xavi, Richarlison; Solanke.