James Maddison has another golden opportunity for Tottenham vs. Leeds

Tottenham Hotspur will face plucky Premier League underdogs Leeds United this weekend, and whlie the Peacocks aren't as peachy as they were to start the season, they still have a top three defense in the English top flight, which means they have the personnel and the playing style to make life difficult for a Spurs side whose biggest weakness - even in this three game winning streak - is finishing off chances and scoring goals.

James Maddison looks set to start again for Spurs after missing the last game against Crystal Palace, as he had left the week prior in the 50th minute of a win over rivals Chelsea with a groin issue. Again, Madders has been in and out of the lineup this season and was even seemingly carrying a bit of a knock going into the Chelsea game. But when he was fully healthy and clicking against Coventry, Spurs had their most decisive game in the final third, with Maddison scoring a worldie to open the scoring.

With Tottenham Hotspur looking to keep the momentum going against a significantly tougher defense than Coventry, Chelsea, or Crystal Palace, Maddison is going to be even more crucial. He was missed even in victory last weekend, as despite all of Spurs dominance, their only two goals were headers from defenders Archie Gray and Jan Paul van Hecke.

There's no doubt that James Maddison brings a different bit of quality to the table for Spurs, and they are going to need that against a back three of Tarik Muharemovic, James Justin, and former Bundesliga veteran Nico Elvedi in front of James Trafford. That's a good group and gets even better when you factor in the ball winning of defensive midfielders Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka (assuming a surprisingly out of form Anton Stach does not start).

Leeds will play condensed and defensive against the possession based, free flowing Spurs, and it will be tough for the attackers to find the space they did against other opponents. That's where the playmaking of Maddison comes into play, and as everyone saw against Coventry, he is the man who makes the most difference as a passer in the final third.

Tottenham Hotspur are not just going to need that against Leeds, but they are also going to need Maddison to be sharp in terms of his shooting outside the box, as he was against Coventry. Spurs are going to need to be aggressive and take advantage of any shooting chances they get, and Maddison is by far their most technical shooter from range. This is a big game for him, and it's a golden opportunity for Madders to further assert himself as one of THE crucial players to Roberto De Zerbi.