Tottenham Hotspur winger Erik Lamela. (Photo : Getty Images)
Contending squad Tottenham Hotspur FC (0-0-1, 1 point) is set to face lowly team Crystal Palace FC (0-1-0, 0 points) at the White Hart Lane on Saturday, August 20 in the second week of 2016-2017 Premier League competitions.
The Spurs, last season's third place finishers, were held to a 1-1 draw by emerging club Everton on the road at the Goodison last Saturday as Argentine winger Erik Lamela scored his first goal of the season, as per Daily Mail Online.
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley netted that opening goal in the match right at the fifth minute as the Toffees, who are under new management with former Southampton boss Ronald Koeman, were able to hold on to the lead until the halftime break.
Tottenham had an unfortunate setback when they lost team captain Hugo Lloris to a hamstring injury at the 35th minute, but Michel Vorm was quick to fill-in for the veteran goalkeeper.
Head coach Mauricio Pochettino changed the momentum of the game to their favor when he introduced new signing Vincent Janssen for Eric Dier at the 56th, which had led to Lamela's equalizer one minute before the hour mark.
Pochettino remained optimistic about the Spurs' performance even after settling for a draw and the injury on Lloris.
"We need to analyze what happened," the coach said. "But in the end it is the first game of the season and there are a lot of things to do. I think we need to take a lot of positives."
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace lost to West Bromwich Albion, 0-1, at their home field of Selhurst Park also last Saturday, SkySports reported.
Venezuelan striker Salomón Rondón provided the lone goal in the match with a header at the 74th minute, handing head coach Alan Pardew's side a loss to open the new season.
It was actually a decent performance for the Eagles, who featured new signing Andros Townsend during the game. Townsend almost found the equalizer in stoppage time, but his free kick was wide as the Baggies came away with the three points and the win.
The predicted result is a 1-0 decision for Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham Hotspur starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Rose; Dier, Wanyama; Lamela, Alli, Eriksen; Kane
Crystal Palace starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Hennessey; Ward, Dann, Delaney, Souaré; Jedinak, Puncheon; Townsend, Lee, Zaha; Wickham
