Denis Zakaria was doing well before his injury at the turn of the year, and he’s now fit again, but is on the bench today for the game against Tottenham.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek did very well alongside Enzo Fernandez in the Champions League away game at Dortmund a week ago, and it’s that combination that Graham Potter has gone for today. Loftus-Cheek’s skillset is slightly more offensive than Zakaria’s, with more of an ability to drive forward with the ball at the cost of a little bit of the Swiss international’s defensive nous. Both bring a really solid physical presence to a team which lacks it in other areas.
Today will be a very interesting test for RLC, who now has Zakaria breathing down his neck. If the academy star does well, he can further prove his suitability as a partner for Enzo long term. If the balance is off, we could see Zakaria pretty early in the game.
