Tottenham vs. West Brom: Complete Preview, Team News and Projected Starters

The second week of Premier League play kicks off on Saturday, as Tottenham host West Brom at White Hart Lane.

Both clubs entered the 2012-13 season with new managers, and with that came a change in philosophy.

Former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas is now at Spurs while former Liverpool assistant Steve Clarke is now in charge of the Baggies.

Coming into the match, West Brom are in fourth place with three points, and Tottenham sit in 14th with zero points.

Here is all you need to know about Saturday afternoon's clash at White Hart Lane.

Recent History

In the two meetings of the clubs last season, Tottenham was the winning side both times.

The first meeting between the two last year came in November at The Hawthorns where Spurs beat their hosts, 3-1.

Emmanuel Adebayor was the star of that game as he scored an early equalizer and a game-clinching goal in the 90th minute.

In the return fixture at White Hart Lane in January, the only goal of the match was scored by Jermain Defoe, as Spurs completed the season sweep with a 1-0 win.

The last victory for West Brom over Spurs came on December 28, 2008.

New Managers Means New Formations

Both clubs experienced a change in management over the summer.

West Brom replaced current England boss Roy Hodgson with former Liverpool assistant Steve Clarke.

Clarke has instituted a new attacking style to the Baggies, as seen in last week's 3-0 win over Clarke's old employers.

A version of the 4-3-3 is being employed by Clarke, but it looks more like a 4-2-1-3 when the team is out on the pitch.

Tottenham replaced the outgoing Harry Redknapp with former Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas.

Villas-Boas has also made changes to his club's attacking philosophy by choosing to go with a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Last week in their loss to Newcastle, Tottenham only played with one forward but played with three midfielders that are known for their attacking skills.

Injury Concerns and Suspensions

Although it is early on in the season, there are a few injuries to report for both clubs.

Tottenham will be missing three players for their first home match of the season due to injury.

Scott Parker is the highest profile name on the injury report, and he will not feature for Spurs until after the international break because of an Achilles injury.

Giovani dos Santos will also miss the home opener with a knee injury that he suffered at the Olympics while playing with Mexico.

The almost forgotten Heurelho Gomes is also out for Spurs with a foot injury.

As for West Brom, Jerome Thomas is the only player who will be unavailable due to injury.

The only player who will miss the match due to suspension is Tottenham's Danny Rose, who is serving the final match of his three-match red card suspension.

Tottenham Starting 11

Formation: 4-2-3-1

Goalkeeper: Brad Freidel

Defense: Benoit Assou-Ekotto, William Gallas (Captain), Jan Vertongen, Kyle Walker

Defensive Midfielders: Jake Livermore, Sandro

Attacking Midfielders: Gareth Bale, Gylfi Sigurdsson, Aaron Lennon

Forward: Emmanuel Adebayor

The only changes predicted for Spurs from last week are Vertongen and Adebayor entering squad in place of Younes Kaboul and Jermain Defoe.

Defoe is much more effective as a substitute, and Adebayor performed well during his time at White Hart Lane last season, and now that his transfer is finally done, Villas-Boas can start him up front.

Vertongen should get his first EPL start on Saturday and Gallas should keep the captain's armband.

With former skipper Ledley King retired and his rumored replacement Michael Dawson leaving for QPR, the armband looks to be permanently moved above the Frenchman's elbow.

West Brom Starting 11

Formation: 4-2-1-3

Goalkeeper: Ben Foster

Defenders: Jonas Olsson, Gareth McAuley, Liam Ridgewell, Steven Reid

Defensive Midfielders: Youssuf Mulumbu, Claudio Yacob

Attacking Midfielder: Chris Brunt (Captain)

Forwards: Peter Odemwingie, Shane Long, Zoltan Gera

The only projected change to Steve Clarke's starting 11 is club captain Chris Brunt being re-inserted into the lineup in favor of James Morrison.

Yacob and Mulumbu will be listed as defensive midfielders, but expect them to join the attack at any time in the match.

Up front, the three players who started against Liverpool should be rewarded for their good performance with a second straight start.

Odemwingie and Long are solid forwards, and Gera was a pleasant surprise in Week 1 as he scored the opening goal of the match last week.

Key Substitutes to Watch

Tottenham: Rafael van der Vaart, Jermain Defoe

West Brom: Romelu Lukaku, James Morrison

Van der Vaart has been somewhat of super substitute since joining Spurs from Real Madrid in 2010.

Defoe is a proven striker, and he will have something to prove to his manager if he gets the chance to get on the pitch on Saturday as he competes with Emmanuel Adebayor for a starting position.

Lukaku has already scored one goal off the bench this season—in the 77th minute against Liverpool—and may be called on again towards the end of the match as a pair of fresh legs to provide energy to the squad.

Morrison, who started the last match, could also be called on as support in midfield or as a more offensive minded player to replace either Youssuf Mulumbu or Claudio Yacob on the pitch.

Key Matchups to Watch: Tottenham Wingers vs. West Brom Fullbacks

The two Tottenham wingers in the projected starting lineup, Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, both have great pace and skill and could cause any opposing fullbacks a nightmare.

That is where West Brom's Jonas Olsson and Steven Reid step in to the equation.

Olsson and Reid will have to stop the Spurs wingers and force them to go inside instead of crossing the ball into Emmanuel Adebayor from the wing.

The Baggies defenders also need to be wary of Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Kyle Walker—the two Spurs fullbacks—who are known to drive forward on the pitch during any attack.

Key Matchups to Watch: West Brom Forwards vs. Brad Friedel

In order to start three forwards up front, a club must have three forwards that are proven goal scorers.

West Brom has just that in their lineup going into Saturday's away match at White Hart Lane.

The most successful of the three starting up front has to be Peter Odemwingie, who has scored double-digit goal totals in his two seasons with the club.

Long does not have the goal totals that his teammate has, but he is nonetheless a threat up front as well.

Although Gera is not thought of as a natural goal scorer, he is capable of scoring when he is healthy, just like last week.

The man trying to keep all of the West Brom forwards from scoring will be Brad Friedel, the 41-year-old American who came to England in 1997 and has not left since.

Friedel is as experienced as they come in net, and it will take a decent sized effort by the Baggies' trio up front to get one past the wily old veteran keeper.

Prediction

Tottenham 2, West Brom 0

When the final whistle sounds on Saturday afternoon, expect Tottenham to be the winning club.

Spurs have more attacking options than West Brom, and with the potential of Adebayor starting, it gives them more of a physical presence inside the penalty area.

West Brom's defense may not be able to contain all the attacks from their hosts while lined up in a more offensive-minded formation.

Look for the goals to come from Adebayor in the second half after Andre Villas-Boas makes adjustments to how West Brom plays them.

However, this the EPL and there is a ton of parody, so West Brom do have some chances of winning, but those chances are slim.