Tottenham's season seems to have taken a turn for the worse after Mauricio Pochettino's side slumped to their second defeat in three Premier League games against Manchester United at the weekend.

The only goal of the game came from United's in-form summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who ran in behind the Spurs defence before slamming the ball into the roof of the net past Hugo Lloris.

After remaining undefeated in the league up until their defeat at Chelsea the previous weekend, Spurs' title challenge has now turned into a contest for the top four, unless they can rediscover their form ahead of Christmas and into the new year.

Next up for the Lilywhites is Hull, as they welcome the Tigers to White Hart Lane on Wednesday night in search of a vital three points.

Hull themselves has proven a difficult side to beat recently, drawing two and winning one of the last five, so while many expect three points for the hosts, it certainly won't be a walk in the park.

This is the starting XI Mauricio Pochettino must pick to claim victory over Hull.

Goalkeeper

 

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris is enjoying another solid season between the sticks and we see no reason to change for the visit of Hull City, with the Frenchman bagging five clean sheets in 13 Premier League appearances and notching up a decent if unspectacular 23 saves.

The 28-year-old is prone to the occasional error but has undoubtedly prevented more seemingly unstoppable strikes than given away goals throughout his Spurs tenure and always provides a calming influence behind a solid Tottenham backline.

Defence

 

Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld were such a formidable partnership last year, as the two Belgians' understanding of each other made them impossibly difficult to break down.

The latter has been out injured which may have contributed to Spurs' increased frailty at the back, so giving the pair as much game time as possible to rekindle their romance is key for the rest of Tottenham's season.

Ben Davies starts at left-back in the place of Danny Rose, whose form this season appears to have dropped from the excellent standard of last year. Davies himself didn't have a bad season, and enjoyed a brilliant summer with Wales.

At right-back we have the familiar face of Kyle Walker. The flying full-back adds an attacking threat to Spurs' starting XI, but he needs to tighten his defensive work if his side are to really amount a title challenge.

Midfield

 

Spurs have an almost unprecedented selection of midfielders to choose from, some young and some more experienced. One man absolutely key to their success, however is Moussa Dembele.

The Belgian links up well with his fellow countrymen at the back and holds on to the ball before distributing it extremely well. Alongside him sits Victor Wanyama, who allows Dembele more freedom going forward as he assumes most of the defensive responsibilities.

Dele Alli lies directly ahead, with the in-form Son-Hueng Min out to his left and Georges-Kevin N'Koudou on the right. The winger signed from Marseille has had little opportunity since his arrival this summer, but his pace in the wide areas will cause an ageing Hull defence problems.

Striker

Only one choice here really and not even because of his brilliant form, but simply a lack of options. While Harry Kane has indeed bagged seven in his last nine, his performances have been far from spectacular.

Having said that, they have been a hell of a lot better than his fellow strike partner Vincent Janssen, who is still yet to score a goal from open play this season.

Line-Up

http://lineupbuilder.com/350x500/?p=11&a=1&t=&c=f2eaea&1=GK_Vorm__388_174&2=DL_Davies__308_64&3=DCL_Vertonghen__327_138&4=DCR_Alderweireld__327_211&5=DR_Walker__308_285&6=AL_Son__156_78&7=MC_Dembele__215_141&8=MC_Wanyama__246_208&9=AR_N%27Koudou__153_285&10=FC_Kane__89_170&11=AC_Alli__155_187&c2=eafa05&c3=ffffff&output=embed