Tottenham Hotspur must secure victory against West Ham United this evening, with Ange Postecoglou's side winless in four Premier League matches after a stunning start to the campaign.
Recent results elsewhere mean that Spurs are five points behind third-placed Aston Villa – who beat Manchester City last night – with a game in hand, while Manchester United and Newcastle United are snapping at the London club's heels.
West Ham have claimed seven points from their past three league matches after a mini-blip and will be only too eager to stifle their neighbours, but Spurs will understand the importance of returning to form ahead of the festive frenzy of fixtures.
Tottenham team news vs West Ham
Probably the most important news ahead of Thursday evening's encounter is that the hosts welcome Cristian Romero back to the matchday squad after his three-match suspension.
James Maddison and Micky van de Ven remain sidelined until the new year, while Rodrigo Bentancur is also expected to be absent for multiple months after sustaining an ankle injury against Aston Villa.
Richarlison returned off the bench against Manchester City on Sunday, and exciting midfielder Pape Matar Sarr is expected to be fit again after recovering from a knock that has ruled him out for the past few games.
Why Pape Sarr must start vs West Ham
Tottenham signed Pape Sarr from French side Metz for around £15m and was loaned back for the 2021/22 campaign, joining Antonio Conte's Spurs project last year and playing 17 times across all competitions last season, starting only twice in the Premier League.
Speaking of the player's qualities in 2022, Fabrizio Romano said: "I am told this guy is really more than an interesting talent. He has real potential, [he's a] fantastic talent.
"One of my sources told me he could become one style of [Paul] Pogba player. He has style, he has potential, he has skills, so we will see what happens with this guy."
This season, under Postecoglou's wing, the Senegalese talent, aged 21, has been a crucial member of the side, making 12 appearances in the Premier League, posting a goal and two assists, completing 90% of his passes, and averaging one key pass and 5.6 ball recoveries per match, as per Sofascore.
An energetic and all-engulfing midfielder, the £10k-per-week ace ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 13% for pass completion and the top 17% for progressive passes per 90, as per FBref.
Emphasising his creativity and “ridiculous” natural talent – as has been said by football.london's Alasdair Gold – the aforementioned metrics illustrate the 5 foot 11 starlet's budding skills and bespeak his effectiveness in the engine room for Postecoglou.
By throwing him back into the starting mix, the Tottenham manager could leave Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg on the bench, as he has preferred since arriving from Celtic in the summer.
Hojbjerg is an established and experienced Premier League midfielder and has chalked up 159 displays for the Lilywhites, but has only made two Premier League starts this season and is clearly not favoured in the system.
Industrious and intelligent, the Dane is perhaps a little conservative in possession but this is actually something that works in Spurs' favour in the second half.
Against City, Hojbjerg was brought off the bench and excelled in his assuredness and composure, completing 88% of his passes and taking 45 touches.
Sarr could bring the high-octane approach needed to stump the Hammers, and if Spurs can gain a foothold, then Hojbjerg's second-half introduction should steer the side over the line.