Tottenham Hotspur is looking to break a 16-year trophy drought as they host reigning champions Manchester City in the EFL Cup fourth round this Wednesday night at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
After a disappointing loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday, Spurs are eager to bounce back. Meanwhile, City comes off a narrow win against struggling Southampton.
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has seen his team’s early-season inconsistency rear its head again. After a couple of wins over West Ham and AZ Alkmaar, they fell to Crystal Palace, giving the Eagles their first victory of the season. Spurs struggled at Selhurst Park, allowing Jean-Philippe Mateta to score and secure all three points for Palace.
Last season, Spurs finished fifth and qualified for the Europa League, and they’re now aiming for Champions League football this year. However, they currently sit in eighth place in the Premier League. Facing a formidable opponent like Manchester City, the EFL Cup might be their best shot at winning a major trophy since their 2008 triumph against Chelsea.
In the last round, Spurs narrowly avoided elimination against Championship side Coventry City, thanks to late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson that saved them from embarrassment.
On the other side, Manchester City has had a perfect October so far, winning all five of their matches in the Premier League and Champions League. Erling Haaland has been in fine form, scoring again in their recent victory over Southampton.
As City gears up for a tough run of four away matches in 11 days, they’ll need to rely on their tight-knit squad. In recent years, City has struggled in the EFL Cup, being knocked out at the quarter-final stage or earlier in two of the last three seasons. This time, they progressed past Watford in the third round, hoping to regain their dominance in the competition.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
Tottenham Hotspur will likely be without their star player Son Heung-min due to a thigh injury that's kept him out of the last two matches against AZ Alkmaar and Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile, 17-year-old Mikey Moore made his Premier League debut on Sunday and could start again on Wednesday night. Moore's exciting talent is a welcome boost for Tottenham.
On the other side, Manchester City's Djed Spence, who scored in their third-round win over Coventry, will be out until late November with a groin issue.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola plans to shake things up for their trip to Tottenham, considering it the least crucial of their upcoming away games.
Expect plenty of fresh faces from the academy, including 16-year-olds Kaden Braithwaite and Nico O'Reilly, who saw action in the previous round against Watford.
City's injury list is lengthy, with Kevin De Bruyne and Kyle Walker still sidelined without return dates. Oscar Bobb won't be back until next year, and Rodri is done for the season with a cruciate ligament injury.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Forster; Gray, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Sarr, Bentancur, Maddison; Werner, Johnson, Richarlison
Manchester City possible starting lineup:
Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Braithwaite, Ake; O'Reilly; Savio, McAtee, Gundogan, Nunes; Foden
EXPERT PREDICTION
Tottenham 1-2 Manchester City
Wednesday night's matchup presents a prime opportunity for Tottenham to advance to the quarter-finals, especially since Manchester City is likely to field a squad loaded with young academy players.
However, don't count out Pep Guardiola's team just yet. Even with a rotated lineup, City's talented first-team players should still have the edge over Tottenham. We're predicting a closely contested match in North London, but ultimately, Tottenham will likely bow out of the EFL Cup with a narrow loss.
