Tottenham Hotspur will visit Nottingham Forest with the aim to book their place in the EFL Cup fourth round.
Nottingham Forest will welcome a beleaguered Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the EFL Cup. On the back of a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Liverpool, Antonio Conte’s side would be eager to get back to winning ways while Forest were happy to share the spoils with Brentford.
Conte had hoped Spurs’ brilliant start could finally be the lynchpin of their success but recent form suggests something very concerning. They somehow managed to sneak into the Champions League knockout stages with a last-minute winner but their recent displays would not provide them much food for thought as long as they don’t improve their form in the continental competition.
Three defeats in the last four Premier League games have not been ideal and Conte will not take their next opponent lightly as this competition could emerge as their best chance to end their trophy drought given their poor run in the Premier League.
Nottingham survived another day as a last-ditch goal from Mathias Jorgensen levelled them up with Brentford and with Tottenham low on morale, the newly promoted side will try to get the job done on their home turf.
The North Londoners already inflicted a 2-0 loss on Forest at the start of the season but a lot of water has flown down under the bridge since then and Tottenham’s vulnerability could be exposed by Steve Cooper.
They haven’t managed to shy away from their relegation struggles this season and their foremost priority would be to earn the rights to Premier League football next season.
But a good run in a cup competition would suit them perfectly as it could help them to ponder different situations.
Team News and Tactics
Nottingham Forest
With a number of casualties hanging around, Cooper is expected to rotate his squad. Harry Toffolo, Omar Richards, Jack Colback, Giulian Biancone and Moussa Niakhate will miss the game.
Wayne Hennessey will have a try in between the sticks. Joe Worrall and Willy Boly will be guarding the defence while Serge Aurier and Renan Lodi will be providing the width from the wide areas and also need to hold their shape.
Ryan Yates, Lewis O’Brien and Orel Mangala will try to keep possession of the ball and get the better of their midfield counterparts. Former Manchester United midfielder Jesse Lingard hasn’t had many chances since jumping the ship and he will be getting a chance on the right wing.
Sam Surridge will offer his expertise from the left side and Taiwo Awoniyi will lead the line.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Hennessey; Aurier, Worrall, Boly, Lodi; O’Brien, Yates, Mangala; Lingard, Awoniyi, Surridge
Tottenham Hotspur
Son Heung-min’s World Cup participation is in doubt after undergoing surgery. Richarlison has been named in the World Cup squad of Brazil and could have some minutes from the bench.
Conte will shuffle his packs which will see Fraser Forster being handed a rare chance in the goal. Matt Doherty and Ryan Sessegnon will appear in the two farthest corners.
Davinson Sanchez, Japhet Tanganga and Clement Lenglet will form a new face Spurs backline. Oliver Skipp, Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma will be shoring the midfield in search of that breakthrough.
Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura will be the two-man up forward.
Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Forster; Doherty, Sanchez, Tanganga, Lenglet, Sessegnon; Skipp, Bentancur, Bissouma; Lucas, Gil
Key Stats
- Forest will try to lay their hand on the League Cup trophy for the fifth time having already claimed four cup titles.
- Since March 1997, Nottingham haven’t been able to register a victory against the North London sides.
Key Player
Rodrigo Bentancur
Rodrigo Bentancur has been pivotal to Antonio Conte’s plans and the Uruguayan international will have to bear the responsibility once again if the North Londoners are to escape another uncharacteristic defeat.
Prediction
Nottingham Forest 0-2 Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham’s superior squad depth could bail them on this occasion as the likes of Lucas Moura know the importance of claiming a win prior to the World Cup.
