The Independent

Follow live coverage as Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester City in the EFL cup.

Liverpool are the reigning champions of the competition following an extra time victory over Chelsea at Wembley last term, Virgil van Dijk scoring the decisive goal to secure a record-extending tenth win of this domestic cup for the Reds.

While all 72 clubs from the football league enter from the first round, Premier League teams enter at the second or third round stage, the latter for clubs competing in Europe this season. Last year, Middlesbrough were the team from outside the top flight to go furthest in the competition, reaching the semi-finals.

Follow live updates from today’s game in the live blog below.

After a busy spell of Premier League and European competition, attentions turn to the EFL Cup this week and for Tottenham, that means the visit of Manchester City (8:15pm, Sky Sports Main Event).

While this competition might not be top of the priority list, it is one City boss Pep Guardiola does take seriously, after all it was the first trophy he won at the start of his reign at the Etihad Stadium.

City beat Arsenal 3-0 in the 2018 final before they also won the first of his Premier League titles. City went on to dominate this competition, winning four in a row between 2018 and 2021, but that was their last triumph.

Despite their recent lack of EFL Cup success, betting sites have installed City as the favourites to lift the trophy in March at odds of 5/2, with Arsenal, who last won the trophy in 1993, second at 5/1.

After Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou’s reminder that he always wins a trophy in his second season he will no doubt be taking this one seriously, and odds of 12/1 are available for Tottenham to end their drought without a trophy stretching back to 2008.

Both sides enter the game after differing results at the weekend. Spurs come into the contest off a narrow loss to Crystal Palace, while City edged out Southampton on home soil.

You can find odds with football betting sites for Spurs to win at 6/4 on Wednesday with City at 17/10. It looks a close game to call, but you can never overlook City in a knockout competition.

For Spurs to advance to the next round they will have to be much-improved from Sunday’s performance at Selhurst Park when Palace won their first Premier League match of the season courtesy of a solitary goal from Jean-Philippe Mateta.

That was Tottenham’s second league defeat in their last three matches but in cup competitions, they have won four out of four to set up Wednesday’s meeting with City, while they’re also second in the Europa League table behind Lazio on goal difference.

To reach this stage of the competition Spurs beat Coventry 2-1 in the third round at the Ricoh Arena, but had to come from a goal down and were moments away from exiting the competition.

Djed Spence equalised with just two minutes to go before Brennan Johnson scored the winner in injury time.

City are looking for their sixth win in a row in all competitions and their 1-0 win over Southampton last time out saw them go back to the top of the Premier League table.

They beat Watford 2-1 at home in the third round of this competition but despite going 2-0 up inside the first 38 minutes Tom Ince pulled a goal back with four minutes to go and made it a very nervy finish for the home side.

The last time the two sides met in this competition was the 2021 final at Wembley. Ryan Mason was in charge of Spurs on that day, just days after the sacking of Jose Mourinho but there no fairytale start to life as an interim manager as Aymeric Laporte scored the only goal of the game on 82 minutes to secure City’s fourth title in a row.

With both sides likely to make changes and give fringe players a chance, we could see a disjointed display. But, Spurs’ style of play is always eye-catching one way or another.

We feel that both teams to score is a good option, and pairing it with a City win adds value on betting apps, especially since Guardiola’s men have won three of their last five against Spurs.

Tottenham v Man City prediction: BTTS and City to win - 16/5 William Hill

It’s hard to look at player predictions with several changes expected for both teams, from the starting lineups at the weekend, but one player who impressed in the last round for City was James McAtee.

The midfielder is one of the players that are likely to come into the side at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as Guardiola rotates his options, while there are also a number of injury absentees.

McAtee, who spent the last two seasons on loan at Sheffield United, made his first start for City in the Community Shield, with several City players still returning to pre-season training after the European Championships, and has since made four appearances.

He scored his first goal for the club in the 4-0 over Slovan Bratislava and recently scored three goals in two games for the England U21s, so he will go into this one full of confidence.

McAtee will have license in the final third and we like his odds to threaten in the final third. He may not get on the scoresheet, but we’re backing him to produce two shots or more at 12/5 on Betfred.

Tottenham v Man City predictions 2: James McAtee to have 2+ shots on target - 12/5 Betfred

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Tottenham face a major test of their hopes of winning a trophy this season as Ange Postecoglou’s side host Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.

Ending Tottenham’s 16-year trophy drought is a priority of Postecoglou’s - with the Australian even pointing out that has won silverware in his second season wherever he has been.

Spurs avoided a scare in the last round to beat Coventry but there is added pressure coming into the Carabao Cup after Sundays’ dismal defeat at Crystal Palace that raised more questions about Postecoglou’s often inconsistent side.

And they now host a City side who may feel they have bigger targets to aim for this season.

Pep Guardiola last month warned that he would “play the second team” in the fourth round, with City also facing an expanded Champions League and the Club World Cup at the end of the season.

But City are dealing with a long list of injuries so Guardiola may need to pick a stronger side than planned. Here’s everything you need to know

When is Tottenham vs Manchester City?

The match kicks off at 8:15pm GMT on Wednesday 30 October at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

How can I watch it?

All of tonight’s Carabao Cup games will be on Sky Sports, with Tottenham vs Manchester City available on Sky Sports Main Event. Coverage starts from 7:00pm.

If you’re not a Sky customer, you can grab a NOWTV Day Pass here to watch without a subscription.

If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

What is the team news?

Tottenham will be without captain Son Heung-min, who remains sidelined after feeling “soreness” in the win over West Ham earlier this month. Wilson Odebert is Tottenham’s only other absentee and Postecoglou could decide to hand 17-year-old Mikey Moore another start.

Pep Guardiola vowed to play the “second team” before City drew Tottenham and they head to north London without Rodri, Jack Grealish, Jeremy Doku, Kyle Walker, Oscar Bobb and Kevin De Bruyne.

Nico O’Reilly, James McAtee, Kaden Braithwaite and Jacob Wright were involved in the 2-1 win over Watford in the third round and could appear for City again.

Possible line-ups

Tottenham XI: Vicario; Gray, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bissouma, Sarr; Johnson, Kulusevski, Moore; Solanke

Man City XI: Ortega; Lewis, Stones, Akanji, Gvardiol; Kovacic, O’Reilly; Savinho, McAtee, Nunes; Foden

Tottenham Hotspur will remain without captain Son Heung-min for Wednesday’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie at home to Manchester City.

Son returned after a three-match absence with a hamstring injury to score against West Ham earlier this month, but reported “soreness” after the win on October 19 and has missed the matches with AZ Alkmaar and Crystal Palace.

Postecoglou revealed the attacker will be absent again for the visit of City but should return for the Premier League fixture with Aston Villa on Sunday.

“Sonny, no. Well he is almost fit but we will probably from our perspective aim him for the weekend. We’re quite confident he will be right for the weekend,” Postecoglou confirmed.

“The only one missing out, which is a bit of a disappointment, is Wilson (Odobert). He’s had a setback during the week and it seems like it’s a serious one, so we’re waiting for more information.

“And then from the weekend everyone else is okay and Djed (Spence) is back training.”

Mikey Moore, 17, started in Son’s place during the 1-0 loss at Crystal Palace, but may drop to the bench against City with the out-of-form Timo Werner and fit-again Richarlison candidates to start at left forward.

Pep Guardiola has repeatedly stated Man City would not waste energy on the Carabao Cup this season but Postecoglou will expect a certain level of performance from the visitors.

Postecoglou added: “I think it’s fair to say most clubs rotate through the Carabao Cup, but you just have to look at Man City’s record in this competition and they are a fantastic football club.

“It’s very difficult in this league and in this country to maintain that excellence over the time they have. They do that because, irrespective of who they play, there is a level of performance that they continually deliver whether they’ve rotated the team or not, or whatever the competition.”

In terms of his own selection, Postecoglou was guarded over whether it would be his strongest XI.

“Obviously City played on Saturday (against Southampton), so we’ve got to make sure the players we put out there tomorrow are able to compete physically with what’s going to be on the other side of the pitch from us,” Postecoglou admitted.

“The good thing is just about the whole squad’s had some kind of football so that means whatever changes we make the players coming in are at a good physical level.”

Tottenham have not won a trophy since 2008 but Postecoglou insisted they cannot pick and choose which matches they view as more important in a seven-day week where many supporters will place extra significance on the cup clash with City over the visit of Villa on Sunday.

Postecoglou reflected: “I’d hate to think that any supporter of this football club thinks that I try harder in one game than another.

“Supporters can feel what they like, on which is the most important game. But it would be the biggest injustice for me as a manager if I said, ‘we’re going to try harder tomorrow than we do at the weekend or we did last weekend’.

“Our responsibility lies with trying to be the best we can be every day for our supporters, for everyone who’s part of this football club. It’s not about trying to gain brownie points. That’s not what our role is.”

Follow live coverage as Crystal Palace face Tottenham Hotspur today in the Premier League. Another top-flight season will be covered in full right here with The Independent, as reigning champions Manchester City look to make it an unprecedented five titles in a row come the end of 2024/25.

The hosts have made a disappointing start to the new campaign and Oliver Glasner is coming under some pressure, despite last year’s excellent form to end the season. It’s no wins and just three points from Palace’s first eight league games of this term, with three straight defeats recently seeing them score only one goal in that time.

Spurs, meanwhile, can go fifth if they win here and Ange Postecoglou’s team look to have found a bit of consistency of late, winning three of their last four as well as progressing well in Europe. Follow the latest live action from the Premier League below:

Tottenham Hotspur head coach Ange Postecoglou will continue to try and restore Timo Werner’s confidence, but has acknowledged they need more from the out-of-form attacker.

Werner was replaced at half-time of Thursday’s 1-0 win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League after another mixed display where he squandered a big chance in the 27th minute.

RB Leipzig loanee Werner recently deputised for injured captain Son Heung-min, a doubt for Sunday’s trip to Crystal Palace with muscle soreness, but has not scored in his last 16 appearances for Spurs.

The excellent second-half performance of 17-year-old Mikey Moore, who switched from the right to his favoured left wing after Werner’s early exit, leaves Postecoglou with a dilemma at Selhurst Park.

If Son fails to recover in time as expected, Moore could get the nod for his first Premier League start over ex-Chelsea forward Werner.

“We are talking to Timo constantly,” Postecoglou said.

“We understand he is lacking some confidence at the moment and everyone has been working hard at that, but with all these things, ultimately it’s incumbent on him to use as much support he’s got around here to get himself out of it.

“Our role in that is to provide that support whether that’s internally or externally, whatever he needs. Obviously it’s then up to him to try to use that to get him back to the levels where he wants to be and where he can contribute for us. Like I said, with all the players what we try to do is provide an environment where should they need help, it’s readily available.

“We do need output and that’s the key part. Obviously when Mikey was on with Brennan (Johnson), we were a threat on both wings and we were getting outcomes from it.

“We didn’t score but three or four really good chances came from it and we need that to happen with the way we play. Whilst the general play is important and Timo has done well, we still need more in that front third and we got it in the second half.”

The Neymar-esque display of Tottenham starlet Mikey Moore on Thursday night has got tongues wagging after they made it three wins from three in the Europa League with a 1-0 victory at home to AZ Alkmaar.

Moore was one of four teenagers to start for Spurs in the competition away to Ferencvaros earlier this month, which saw the quartet labelled as ‘Ange’s Angels’ even if Ange Postecoglou laughed off the tag.

Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall started again alongside Moore on Thursday and while Will Lankshear was an unused substitute, ‘Ange’s Angels’ again got the job done in Europe. Here, the PA news agency looks at them.

Mikey Moore

The youngster of the group, Moore’s potential has been known for some time in the Spurs academy and he made his debut as a 16-year-old against Manchester City in May. Plenty of clubs circled the London-born attacker but he signed his first professional contract at Tottenham on his 17th birthday in August and has backed up a strong pre-season with an impressive full debut in Hungary, which was followed by James Maddison lauding him as Neymar for his second half against AZ.

Archie Gray

Gray is arguably the veteran despite only being 18 considering he was a key figure for Leeds in the Sky Bet Championship last season before his £40million move to Spurs this summer. With plenty of footballing royalty in his family in the shape of great uncle Eddie Gray and grandad Frank Gray, the versatile youngster has quickly gained Postecoglou’s trust and played right-back, centre-back, left-back and central midfield during his first few months in north London.

Lucas Bergvall

With blonde hair, a cheeky smile and a wand of a right foot, it has not taken long for 18-year-old Bergvall to draw comparisons with a youthful David Beckham, but the Swedish midfielder could have ended up at Barcelona after they rivalled Spurs for his signature at the start of this year. In the end Bergvall was convinced to join compatriot Dejan Kulusevski at Tottenham and linked up with his new team-mates in July after he was given the farewell of a hero by old club Djurgarden.

Will Lankshear

Tottenham have been fined £20,000 after they accepted a Football Association (FA) charge following a melee between their players and West Ham’s towards the end of Saturday’s 4-1 win.

Mohammed Kudus’ foul on Micky van de Ven in the 82nd minute sparked a coming-together, with the Hammers attacker subsequently sent off after he shoved both Van de Ven and Pape Sarr in the face.

Spurs, along with West Ham, were charged by the FA on Tuesday with failing to “ensure their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way”, and the north London club have accepted the charge.

“Tottenham Hotspur have been fined £20,000 following their Premier League match against West Ham,” an FA statement read.

“It was alleged that the club failed to ensure their players didn’t behave in an improper and/or provocative way around the 82nd minute. Tottenham admitted to this charge and accepted the standard penalty.”

With a minimum three-match ban on the horizon for Kudus – it could be extended further if the FA decide to take retrospective action – the 24-year-old will not play for West Ham again until at least after the November international break.

And Hammers boss Julen Lopetegui revealed he would be having a serious chat with his forward.

“I am not going to say here what I am going to talk with him (about), but for sure we are going to talk,” Lopetegui said. “We are going to have time and I am sure he will be aware that he can improve his answer in this moment because it’s not good for him, for the club and not good for the team.”

The new Women's Super League marks the start of a new era for reigning champions Chelsea, with long-serving boss Emma Hayes having departed in summer to start a new adventure with the USA Women's team.

Last year they just about did enough to claim the title on goal difference ahead of Manchester City, while Arsenal will again hope to make it a three-horse race for the WSL title. Meanwhile Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham will hope to progress after further rebuilding this summer.

Crystal Palace were promoted to replace Bristol City in the top flight, while on a wider note, the league is now under the management and operation of a new organisation set up to lead women's football towards further growth and progression, with Nikki Doucet overseeing both the WSL and Championship in a new phase for the game.

Follow the live action below as Chelsea face Tottenham Hotspur today in the WSL:

Sometimes, well, you can actually change the players rather than the manager. At least for one match. In a game where both coaches were under some pressure, Ange Postecoglou was proactive with his own replacements, while Julen Lopetegui paid for his indecisiveness. The wonder is whether the Basque will even be at West Ham by the time Mohammed Kudus returns to the team, as the forward is facing at least a three-game ban, after one game here that visibly frustrated him.

His team were dismal in a 4-1 defeat that could have seen Tottenham score eight. As deserving as that would have been, the victory was still the tale of two subs - or really four. Spurs had been beginning to get on top towards the end of the first half, with Dejan Kulusevski having equalised Kudus’ own opening strike. There was still more that could be done, though, especially given that James Maddison had been quite ineffective. That was particularly so at corners.

Postecoglou decided to bring on Pape Matar Sarr for Maddison and Spurs almost immediately overran West Ham. Yves Bissouma had scored within minutes.

Postecoglou later stressed it was purely tactical, as he referred to West Ham’s “physical power” in midfield. Another interpretation of that was that Lopetegui’s team were so slow in the centre.

Really, it was obvious, to the point that the West Ham manager went to make three changes. He was nowhere near as quick as Spurs in getting it done, though. By the time that the players were on the sideline ready to come on, which took a mere three minutes, Spurs had scored another two goals.

Jean-Clair Todibo had got into a mess with Alphonse Areola, the two capping dismal individual displays with an own goal in which they were both culpable. It was like they just crumbled under Spurs pressure, as if their confidence was gone.

Lopetegui was asked about the slow subs and said it was about being ready, while insisting it “wasn’t about the players on the pitch”.

That’s perhaps true. There were individual errors everywhere, and a collective lack of coherence. Spurs were just pouring through gaps in the West Ham make-up from the off.

Son Heung-Min enjoyed one of his best matches in some time against that. It was his divine outside-of-the-foot run and overlap that resulted in Areola’s own goal, before he surpassed even that with the fourth.

After yet another moment when West Ham lost the ball playing out, it was worked over to Son. He displayed supreme footwork to surge into the box and then finish in vintage fashion. His only rival for the game’s star performer was Kulusevski, who had been devastating at the tip of midfield. When in the right role and form, he can be one of the most productive players in the Premier League. There’s the effectiveness with those little touches to make space that are complemented by his willingness to run long stretches of the pitch. Son enjoyed the partnership.

As with the Spurs team as a whole, though, it’s hard to say too much about what this means going forward. It was obviously a confidence boost that was badly needed, especially with what happened in the 3-2 defeat to Brighton, and the way that Kudus’ opening goal had exposed familiar issues in defence.

Spurs had been dominant and yet even a side as troubled as this West Ham were able to suddenly cut them open.

There’s also the slight sense that this was a very Spurs win, at least in terms of really going for it and looking convincing when it’s easy. Not when it’s hard.

That is perhaps uncharitable given the performance. This was still one of those games where you can see how enjoyable a Postecoglou display is when everything works. Spurs were often exhilarating. That will also help confidence, and momentum. That is especially so given that this was a first Postecoglou win over one of Arsenal, Chelsea or West Ham - the club’s big rivals.

Postecoglou smiled when asked about that, talking of how “it’s important for the fans”.

He didn’t say it here but the usual argument is that he wants to build something much bigger. As Postecoglou admitted, however, the atmosphere helps and it only gets better after victories like this.

They levelled West Ham, and that clearly got to Kudus. A single image displayed a one-man trail of destruction, as it had both Micky van de Ven and Richarlison on the ground clutching their faces while a melee broke out to the right. Having kicked Van de Ven and swiped both the defender and Richarlison, Kudus then went for Sarr too. You didn’t exactly need more than that image to give him a red card. Andy Madley still had to go to the VAR, and upgrade the inexplicable yellow.

Lopetegui similarly claimed he “didn’t see the action”, which felt straight out of the Arsene Wenger playbook. He may not be hanging around the Premier League anywhere near as long. Questions about his future will only grow after another hapless display, where it just didn’t look like his team knew what they were supposed to be at. He was asked what he can say to suggest this will actually improve. West Ham look a rabble.

“The message is we are sure we are going to have much better moments,” he said in defence. “The Premier League is very long for all the teams. We knew we had a hard start. We are able to improve, we are able to win matches. I am sure we are going to do this.”

He may be the only one. Here, he showed none of Postecoglou’s decisiveness.