Tottenham Hotspur face a visit from Manchester United in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup on Thursday evening.
Spurs brought their five-game winless run to an end at the weekend as they thrashed Southampton on the south coast and they now turn their attention to hunting silverware. Ange Postecoglou has declared that he “always wins things” in his second season at a club and that record will be put to the test this term.
The EFL Cup marks the last trophy that Tottenham won back in 2007/08, where they also faced Manchester opponents in the last eight before conquering Arsenal and Chelsea to claim the title.
Man Utd have won 13 major trophies since Spurs’ last EFL Cup triumph, including this competition during the 2022/23 season. They beat Newcastle United in the final to lift their first piece of silverware under recently dismissed manager Erik ten Hag.
Ruben Amorim’s first month in the job has been far from plain sailing but his short reign peaked at the weekend. The Red Devils produced a stunning comeback win at the Etihad Stadium to beat local rivals Manchester City, with Amad Diallo inspiring Man Utd to an astounding late victory.
Tottenham’s defence has been ravaged by injuries this season and Destiny Udogie is the latest concern after he was withdrawn in the first half of the weekend win at St Mary’s Stadium. However, Postecoglou has confirmed that the Italian has a chance of featuring on Thursday night.
Considering that Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Ben Davies and Cristian Romero are all sidelined at present, Postecoglou could use some positive news regarding Udogie, with options running low in the backline.
Further up the pitch, Rodrigo Bentancur is still missing through suspension, while Richarlison, Mikey Moore and Wilson Odobert are all unavailable as Spurs’ squad becomes more and more stretched.
Marcus Rashford and Alejandro Garnacho were notable omissions from the matchday squad against Man City and the former has since admitted his desire for a “new challenge” as he edges closer to an exit in the January transfer window. With Man Utd also investigating ‘leaks’ within the dressing room, it will be interesting to see if either feature in north London.
Both Mason Mount and Noussair Mazraoui were substituted against Man City due to fitness issues, with the English midfielder guaranteed to miss out on Thursday. Mazraoui will be assessed closer to kick-off.
Luke Shaw is also unavailable because of a hamstring injury but veteran defender Jonny Evans could return to the fold having been absent since Amorim’s first match in charge.
