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Tottenham Hotspur will once again face their cup nemesis, Manchester City, in the Carabao Cup tomorrow. Speaking to the press ahead of the game, Ange Postecoglou discussed who could occupy that left-wing position.

Spurs and Man City have history

While it would be going too far to call Spurs and City rivals, there has certainly been a degree of healthy competition between the two teams in recent years.

Guardiola famously was unable to score, let alone win, at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium until last season, when his team finally broke that curse.

In doing so, City also ended Tottenham’s hopes of putting together a meaningful run in the FA Cup, dumping Ange Postecoglou‘s side out in the fourth round of the competition.

The Blues are also the last team to defeat Spurs in a cup final, securing a 1-0 win in the Carabao Cup final of 2021, shortly after Jose Mourinho’s unceremonious exit from the club.

Things could be a little different this time around, though, with City boss Guardiola already insisting he will field a weakened team as he cannot afford to take the Carabao Cup seriously this season.

Postecoglou comments on Man City strength

Still, Postecoglou will not be expecting an easy ride against City tomorrow. In his press conference today (via Football.London), the Spurs boss hinted at who could fill in at left-wing, with Heung-min Son out for another game.

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He said: “I think Richy has obviously played a lot of his football on the left and he’s definitely an option there for us and an option through the middle as well. He’s getting some good match minutes now so hopefully next couple of weeks we’ve still got a good game schedule.

“Like I said, he’s only just getting his season started so the more we can expose him without overburdening him in the early stages he’ll be able to contribute even more.

Spurs have to take advantage of Man City complacency

A month ago, I suggested Spurs drawing City in the cup was a win-win situation for the Lilywhites — win the game and you’ve knocked out one of the strongest teams, lose and it gives you more time to focus on more important competitions.

Now the game is upon us, I am much more inclined to say Spurs have to win this game. Guardiola’s comments about not taking the game seriously will haunt Postecoglou if he fails to defeat them, and it would be a real shame not to go further in this competition.

Tottenham Hotspur do not have much time to dwell on that disappointing defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend, with Carabao Cup action just around the corner. In his latest press conference, Ange Postecoglou discussed this quick turnaround.

Spurs were poor against Palace

After demolishing London rivals West Ham in the league last weekend, and then completing a professional win over AZ Alkmaar in the Europa League in midweek, expectations were high for Spurs to continue their winning ways against a Crystal Palace side yet to win this season.

However, Ange Postecoglou‘s men never looked like getting anything from the game at Selhurst Park and found themselves under the cosh from the very first minute.

Palace took the lead midway through the first half thanks to a Jean-Philippe Mateta goal, and Tottenham simply could not carve out a meaningful opportunity to level the scores.

The Lilywhites now have the ideal opportunity to remedy that, with a home tie against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup coming up tomorrow.

A big reaction needed

Of course, Postecoglou will be eager to put things right and will want to see that same energy from his players as they look to put together a cup run. However, he would rather concentrate on getting their game plan right in the first place than reacting to defeats.

Speaking to the press (via Football.London) about what he expects in terms of a reaction, Postecoglou said: “I don’t think it is about a reaction. It’s fairly understandable that the players and everyone was disappointed with the way things went for us at Palace, both performance and outcome, but we’ve got to get away from this reactions and trying to atone for something.

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“Part of the process for us is making sure every game we stick to our principles irrespective of what has happened in the past. If you wait for reactions for good performances you’re actually anticipating another challenge when you should just be trying to focus on consistency in performance and consistency in mentality of how we approach every game.”

Crashing out of the cup is not an option

There can be no excuse if Spurs do not get past City in this tie. We know Pep Guardiola is not taking the Carabao Cup seriously, we are at home, and the players are surely hungry to make amends for the weekend. Once again, this will be a real test of the attitudes of the players in this squad as we see how they react to the disappointment of the Palace game.

Richarlison has taken to social media to react furiously to a big development in the footballing world on Monday.

Controversial Ballon d’Or winner

The 2024 Ballon d’Or ceremony took place in Paris on Monday night and the fact that Manchester City midfielder Rodri was chosen as the winner has created a lot of controversy.

In fact, Real Madrid officials and players even boycotted the event on hearing that the prize would be won by the Spaniard instead of Vinicius Junior (Sky Sports)

They felt that the Brazilian forward should have been the rightful winner after playing a key role in Los Blancos’ La Liga and Champions League victories last season.

Richarlison up in arms about the decision

Much like the rest of Brazil, Richarlison was also furious with the decision to award Rodri the prize over his compatriot. The Tottenham man suggested that Vinicius was undoubtedly the best in the world and labelled the decision as ’embarrassing’.

The striker wrote on Instagram: “All of us who live football look forward to the individual awards with great anxiety each season. Today, all Brazilians who love football woke up expecting to see another player from our country win an award for the best in the world after so long.

“Unfortunately, by criteria no one can understand, the prize did not come. And don’t get me wrong, Rodri is a good player who deserves to be among the best. But Vini not getting that Ballon d’Or was embarrassing, and the only person who lost today was football.

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“I remember Vini saying his dream was to see all of Brazil cheering for him. And that day was today! You are a giant and the best in the world, kido! And no trophy will change that. Move forward and never be quiet! We’re all together!”

Timing of Richarlison’s post not ideal

I am sure that a few at Tottenham will not be too happy that Richarlison has decided to make such an emotional outburst just a day after Spurs suffered an embarrassing defeat.

This may not sit well with some Tottenham supporters, who might wonder why this kind of passion is not channelled onto the pitch, particularly after the side’s lacklustre display at Selhurst Park.

George Weah makes a confession about Tottenham Hotspur and Harry Kane at the Ballon d’Or ceremony – and Spurs fans will love it.

The annual Ballon d’Or ceremony was held in Paris on Monday night, with the event causing a bit of controversy.

Manchester City and Spain star Rodri was awarded the prize, and this did not sit well with those associated with Real Madrid, who snubbed the ceremony in protest as they felt that Vinicius Jr deserved the award (The Athletic).

Interestingly, there was also one movement involving Spurs when one of the biggest names in the game addressed Harry Kane.

George Weah makes Tottenham’s admission

There were plenty of recognizable faces at the awards, including a number of former footballers. One of those was Weah, who is considered to be one of the greatest players to ever play the game and among the biggest icons in African football.

Weah, who remains the only African to win the Ballon d’Or to this day, admitted during the ceremony that he grew up as a Spurs fan and is thus a big fan of Kane.

When asked if any particular player has impressed him, the 58-year-old pointed at Kane and said (via The Daily Mail): “Yeah, that’s one of my players that I love. I’m a fan of Mr Kane. When you were playing for my team, I’m a fan.

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“I’m a very good fan because I believe that he’s a very strong and very clever striker. I support the team… Tottenham, since I was a kid. I love him.”

Bittersweet night for Harry Kane

Despite having 56 goal contributions for Bayern Munich last season (44 goals and 12 assists), Kane had to settle for 10th place in the Ballon d’Or rankings.

Pep Guardiola makes a big admission ahead of Manchester City’s Carabao Cup clash against Tottenham that may come as a big boost for the Lilywhites.

Tottenham desperate to bounce back

There is a feeling of doom and gloom around Spurs following the loss at Crystal Palace on Sunday and Ange Postecoglou will be desperate to see a response from his players against Manchester City.

Being knocked out of the Carabao Cup would severely dent the North London club’s chances of winning a trophy this season and would pile even more pressure on the Australian.

However, Postecoglou might have just received some good news from his counterpart ahead of the big game.

Pep Guardiola’s confession

Guardiola has said ahead of City’s trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium that he will not be risking any of the players who are not 100 per cent fit. The Spaniard remarked that he might give the academy stars a chance to impress.

He said (via The Standard): “We are few, few people. I don’t know if I’m going to think against Spurs maybe some players from the academy. We will see. If the players are fine they are going to play against Spurs but if they have doubts I’m not going to take a risk, that’s for sure.”

The Standard suggests that Guardiola’s statement might rule out Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish or Jeremy Doku from Wednesday’s game as none of them are fully fit at the moment.

What side will Ange Postecoglou name?

It will be interesting to see what kind of side Postecoglou names for the clash and whether he is tempted to give some of the backups, such as Radu Dragusin, Djed Spence, Archie Gray, Richarlison and Timo Werner, some game time.

Given the pressure on the 59-year-old at the moment, one can argue that this is a must-win game, and he might thus be tempted to name a fairly strong lineup.

After another disappointing away performance in the Premier League, the Carabao Cup offers Tottenham a pathway to success.

Tottenham need to overcome big Carabao Cup

Ange Postecoglou’s goal is to coach Tottenham to the level of the best teams in England and of course, win trophies. Spurs have put in some imperious performances against lower and mid-table sides, but have often failed to secure results against the top teams during Ange’s tenure so far, currently leaving them 8th in the Premier League table.

The Carabao Cup, which is Tottenham’s next competitive fixture, still contains many of the best sides and presents itself as an opportunity to take that step.

In addition to their R16 opponents, Manchester City, the cup still contains many of England’s most prominent clubs, including; Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Aston Villa.

Additionally, there are Newcastle, Brighton, Crystal Palace and Leicester, all of whom Spurs have dropped points to this season.

City at home is a fixture steeped in chaos

Of course, Manchester City presents the greatest challenge. They are still ranked #1 in Uefa’s club coefficients and are capable of dismantling anyone. However, Tottenham have a history of snatching wins against Pep’s side when playing at home.

Manchester City have only managed 2 wins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium since it opened. Furthermore, only one other side who Pep Guardiola has managed against more than 5 times (Liverpool), has managed to take more points from Manchester City on average.

Although, within that, Tottenham have failed to win against Manchester City in their last three attempts. The psychological hold, Tottenham previously possessed over Pep Guardiola, may no longer be an advantage Spurs can exploit.

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So far this season, Manchester City have a steadily growing injury crisis, missing some of their most influential players and are looking more vulnerable to threats in transition. Tottenham have struggled to maintain consistent form, but have generated more goals from counterattacks than any other side and hope to have a full-strength line-up available with the potential returns of Son Heung-min and Wilson Odobert.

It is a game which has the potential to go in any direction. With both sides looking at a hectic schedule of tough Premier League matches and European away games ahead of them, it is a match-up which could be decided by whoever gives the game a greater priority.

If Spurs can get past City, the sky is the limit

It is foolish to dismiss the challenge Manchester City present, however, if Tottenham were to manage this heroic Carabao Cup feat, there is no telling how far they could go.

In spite of the wealth of imposing clubs still in the competition, Tottenham would only have to bypass another two of them to reach the final. As is the case with all competitions, you can only play who you are drawn against, so the difficulty of your cup run is the luck of the draw.

Tottenham should not shy away against difficult cup ties. They will never reach the standard of the strongest clubs if they do not test themselves against the best opponents. Each of the teams still in the Carabao have recently inflicted wounds against Tottenham and the Spurs’ players should relish the chance for vengeance in a knockout system.

Both Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho, two of the Premier League’s most successful managers used the League Cup as an opportunity to instil a trophy-winning mentality amongst their teams. This could be Postecoglou’s opportunity to set Tottenham on his projected path to glory.

Tottenham Hotspur have a tricky task on their hands as they take on Man City on Wednesday night, but Spurs will be fancying their chances as Pep Guardiola insists the cup matters less than other competitions.

Pep Guardiola on Man City vs Spurs

Supporters were not best pleased when Spurs drew Pep Guardiola and Man City in the Carabao Cup, after only edging past Coventry City in the previous round thanks to late goals from Djed Spence and Brennan Johnson.

The Citizens caused misery for Spurs last season, defeating them twice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in both the league and the FA Cup, ending their record of having never scored a goal at the ground.

But Tottenham’s chances of making it to the quarter-final looked to have increased when Pep Guardiola revealed that the League Cup is not a priority for his side, and that he will not waste energy on the competition, meaning he could field a second time (MEN).

Pep Guardiola’s latest comments on Spurs match

Guardiola has since revealed that first-team players may be involved in City’s squad if they are not injury doubts, but he has doubled down on his stance that the Carabao Cup is not his side’s main focus.

Speaking in his post-match press conference after his side’s 1-0 win against Southampton, he said:

“I would love to have everyone [fit], it’s not the position we’re in, we are few people and we’re going to do what we have to do.

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“I’m going to think about Spurs, maybe some players from the Academy. We will see tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, we have four days not three.

“Of course, we will go there to compete but the main target is Bournemouth, Sporting and Brighton before the international break, this is the focus.

“We will take a decision and if the players are fine we will play them against Spurs but if there are any doubts I’m not going to take a risk against Spurs, that’s for sure.”

Man City injury problems mean more youngsters will play

Manchester City have been plagued by injuries this season, which has included Rodri being ruled out for the rest of the season. Key players such as Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Jeremy Doku are all likely to miss the midweek clash, while it remains unknown when Kevin De Bruyne will return from the sidelines (Standard).

With a busy fixture list coming up for City, Guardiola will look to his sides’ academy players, many of whom represented the first team on their pre-season tour in the United States, when the champions of England faced European heavyweights Barcelona, AC Milan, Chelsea and Celtic (Man City).

Midfielders Nico O’Reilly and James McAtee have both played in the Carabao Cup this season, in City’s 2-1 win over Watford in the previous round, and are likely to feature in the starting lineup. McAtee will be relishing the challenge, having scored on Europe’s biggest stage as Man City thrashed Slovan Bratislava at the start of the month.

While City’s starting XI will probably still have plenty of first-team players, there could be a host of youngsters in the squad, likely including Jacob Wright and Farid Alfa-Ruprecht, who both have a number of goals and assists in Premier League 2 this season and impressive young centre-backs, Jahmai Simpson-Pusey and Kaden Braithwaite, may also make the squad.

Man City predicted starting XI vs Spurs

GK Stefan Ortega

RB Rico Lewis

CB John Stones

CB Manuel Akanji

LB Nathan Ake

CM Nico O’Reilly

CM Ilkay Gundogan

RW Savinho

CAM James McAtee

LW Matheus Nunes

Tottenham Hotspur face Manchester City at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday, aiming for a crucial comeback after their recent Premier League setback against Crystal Palace.

Who will start for Tottenham?

Ahead of the Manchester City game, we expect Ange Postecoglou to make calculated changes. Starting in goal, Guglielmo Vicario looks set to retain his spot despite Fraser Forster’s recent strong performance in the Europa League against AZ.

In defence, Pedro Porro who had a difficult outing against Palace, is likely to take up the right-back position. Meanwhile, Archie Gray may return to the eleven and could feature as the left-back, with Radu Dragusin and Romero expected to form the central defensive pairing.

The midfield trio will likely consist of Pape Matar Sarr, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Dejan Kulusevski, with Bentancur’s recent form offering crucial composure, while Kulusevski will look to spark creativity, with his range of passing in the middle of the park.

At the tip of the attack, Richarlison should start as the main striker, supported by Brennan Johnson and Werner on the wings. Richarlison’s pace and physicality could prove instrumental, especially as City’s high line offers chances for counters.

In the absence of Son Heung-min, who remains Tottenham’s most versatile forward, this selection suggests Postecoglou will seek a balanced approach, focusing on pressing City’s midfield while ensuring quick recovery in transitions.

We will have to hear from Postecoglou whether Son is fit enough to start the match in his press conference today, but a report from Tottenham this week suggested it was touch and go.

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Due to his devastating record against the Citizens, Spurs fans will certainly be hoping to see the South Korean starting on the left wing, but Postecoglou may proceed with caution.

Predicted Tottenham XI vs Manchester City

Who do you think will start for Tottenham against Man City?

One of Tottenham’s star performers this season has unfortunately made it into the worst Premier League eleven of the week.

Spurs star has come into his own

Most people would agree that Dejan Kulusevski has been Tottenham’s best player so far this season, with the Swede becoming the Lilywhites’ main creative outlet since being moved into the attacking midfield role.

Such has been the 24-year-old’s rise that in a matter of months, he has gone from a slight misfit in Tottneham’s system to one of the first names on Ange Postecoglou’s teamsheet.

Outing to forget for Dejan Kulusevski

However, on Sunday, Kulusevski failed to live up to the high standards he has set for himself this season, struggling to impose himself on the game against Crystal Palace.

He was one of several Spurs stars who had off days as Ange Postecoglou’s men struggled to break down a well-organised Eagles side.

Football365 have come up with the worst eleven of the week, based on the players who had the worst rating on Whoscored, and the Swede, unfortunately, makes it into the side.

The outlet wrote about Kulusevski: “His one shot-creating action against Crystal Palace was a pass for James Maddison to shoot from 33 yards for 0.02 xG. Both players were taken off in a triple substitution about seven minutes later so Ange Postecoglou obviously didn’t think much of it.”

Tottenham’s creative struggles against Palace

Spurs have not had any issues when it comes to creating chances so far this season, but the game at Selhurst Park was an exception, with the away side struggling to play through the Palace low-block.

That was undoubtedly down to the fact that both Maddison and Kulusevski had off days, with neither player managing to really take the game by the scruff of the neck.

Ange Postecoglou’s comments about Heung-min Son’s fitness offer Tottenham fans some hope that the forward could play a part in the Carabao Cup clash against Manchester City.

Huge clash coming up for Spurs

The Carabao Cup undoubtedly represents Tottenham’s best chance of ending their 16-year trophy drought this season as the Lilywhites are now potentially just three games away from a Wembley final.

However, they would first need to get past the Man City juggernaut, who will roll into the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this Wednesday.

For Spurs to have their best chance of overcoming the Premier League champions, they will need Heung-min Son back, and Tottenham fans will be sweating on their captain’s fitness ahead of the game.

What Ange Postecoglou has said about Heung-min Son’s fitness

Son has missed Tottenham’s last two games against Alkmaar and Crystal Palace, with Postecoglou confirming ahead of the club’s trip to Selhurst Park that the 32-year-old is expected to be back in action this week.

He said prior to kick-off on Sunday (via the club’s official website) about the forward: “It’s not really a hamstring injury, but he was out for a while and wasn’t feeling right after the last game, so we’re just being conservative with him. All things being well, he should be all right for next week.”

Postecoglou was asked again about the South Korean after the full-time whistle, and he responded: “He seems to be progressing well so, hopefully, he’ll be available for one of the games (against Man City and Aston Villa).”

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Will Spurs take a risk with Son?

One can argue that the Carabao Cup clash against Man City is just as important (if not more) than the six-pointer against Aston Villa on the weekend.

Even if Heung-min Son is lacking some fitness, one would expect him to be named on the bench for Wednesday’s game so that Postecoglou has the option of calling on his captain if he needs him.

Apart from his qualities as a forward, the South Korean’s inclusion will hand a psychological boost to Tottenham, particularly given his impressive record against Pep Guardiola’s side.