Team News & Preview - Spurs vs Sheffield United -28/01/15

Spurs can book a place in their first Wembley final since defeat to Manchester United 6 years ago if they can hold on to the narrow lead picked up against Sheffield at White Hart Lane last week.

Andros Townsend’s penalty was enough to secure a 1-0 first leg win, giving Pochettino’s side a slender lead to take to Bramall Lane on aggregate.

Spurs have won 12 of their last 13 League Cup games against lower division sides, with our only defeat coming in the second leg of a semi-final at Burnley in 2009, where we reached the final anyway.

Team News

Both managers are set to recall senior stars to the respective starting elevens having both suffered for resting player this weekend.

Spurs were kicked out of the FA Cup thanks to a late howler from Michel Vorm, handing Leicester City a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane after Andros Townsend had netted a penalty for the second game running.

But Mauricio has hinted that Vorm will keep his place as Cup-competition ‘keeper despite letting Jeffrey Schlupp’s tame volley bounce over his diving body.

Wholesale changes are expected – if not the entire side – from that upset by Leicester, with Christian Eriksen, Harry Kane and Jan Vertonghen all certainties to be reinstated.

Ryan Mason could return having made it back from injury last Wednesday.

Nabil Bentaleb is away with Algeria at the African Cup of Nations, while Kyle Walker will face his former side in his hometown.

Opponents View

Nigel Clough also made big changes to his side at the weekend, with the most important fixture of the season for either side looming large.

His United side were held to a 1-1 draw with Preston North End, setting up a replay with the side who sit 5 points above them in League One.

Domestically, Sheffield have won just one of their last 8 games, but they have beaten the likes of West Ham and Southampton to reach the League Cup semi final stage.

What They Said

Eric Dier:
“We saw last week that their fans really got behind their team and I’m sure with a full stadium of their supporters this time it’s going to be hard. We’re going to have to be at our best if we’re going to get through.”

Andros Townsend:
“The character is there, everyone has seen the amount of times we’ve come back in games this season from goals down in the last minute. On Saturday it happened against us, football is like that, but we have the characters to pick ourselves up and go again on Wednesday and try to get to Wembley.”

Federico Fazio:
"We need to take some of the things that we did well against Leicester and improve on other elements in this game.
“It’s a very important match and we all really want to get to the final. We must improve on our performance from Saturday, fight for what we want and be fully focused.”

Expected Line-up

Vorm; Walker Vertonghen Dier Rose; Stambouli Mason; Townsend Eriksen Lamela; Kane

 

Watched the provisional winners last night. Either team would've beaten us on our current form, thos timr i think Chelsea will - IF we get to Wembley at all that is!!

 

Biggest decision of poch's reign so far tonight. Am not sure he will pick a different team to last week but hope I am wrong.