Tottenham Hotspur will look to book their place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a win over Burnley on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur are coming into the FA Cup third-round clash against Burnley on the back of four wins from their last five matches across all competitions. The hosts will be reasonably confident of grinding out of victory in front of their fans.
Meanwhile, Burnley are going through a rough patch, and they have picked up just one win from the last six outings across all competitions. There is no doubt that they will be the underdogs, and it will be interesting to see if they can produce a positive performance and give the home side a run for their money.
Regardless of recent form, Tottenham must not take their opposition lightly, and they will have to put on a professional performance to grind out a win. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Son Heung-min is away on international duty with South Korea, because of the AFC Asian Cup. Yves Bissouma and Pape Matar Sarr are away on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Mali and Senegal, respectively.
Ivan Perisic and Manor Solomon are long-term absentees. Alejo Veliz is sidelined with a recent injury blow. Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, and James Maddison are on their way back. But Friday’s game against Burnley has come too soon for the trio.
Tottenham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Guglielmo Vicario in goal. Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie will be deployed as the full-backs here and the two players will look to contribute in the attack as well as defence. Emerson Royal will start at the heart of the defence alongside Ben Davies.
In the midfield pivot, Rodrigo Bentancur is likely to start alongside Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The two players will look at defensive, cover and control to the side. Dejan Kulusevski and Brennan Johnson will start in the white areas, and they will look at pace, flair and creativity to the side. Richarlison will lead the line for Spurs, with Giovani Lo Celso behind him in the number ten role.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Royal, Davies, Udogie; Bentancur, Hojbjerg; Kulusevski, Lo Celso, Johnson; Richarlison
Burnley
Jordan Beyer and Hjalmar Ekdal are ruled out for the away side. Burnley are likely to shape up in the 4-4-2 formation against Tottenham Hotspur, with James Trafford in goal.
Vitinho and Charlie Taylor will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to keep the Tottenham wingers quiet and protect the central defenders. Hannes Delcroix and Dara O’Shea will feature at the heart of the defence defence.
Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Wilson Odobert will start out wide. The duo will look to protect the fullbacks and help out during counte-rattacks. Josh Cullen and Josh Brownhill should feature in central midfield. The two players will look to win the ball back for their side and break up opposition attacks. Finally, Zeki Amdouni will lead the line for Burnley alongside Lyle Foster.
Probable Lineup (4-4-2): Trafford; Vitinho, Delcroix, O’Shea, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Brownhill, Cullen, Odobert; Amdouni, Foster
Key Stats
- Tottenham have won nine of their last ten home matches against Burnley in all competitions.
- Tottenham have kept a clean sheet in their last four home matches against Burnley in all competitions.
- 15 goals have been scored in the last six meetings between these two sides.
- Burnley have conceded nine goals in their last six matches.
- Tottenham have conceded nine goals in their last six matches.
Player to Watch
Dejan Kulusevski
The 23-year-old Swedish international winger is an impressive form, and he is our key man to watch out for. Kulusevski will look to break down the opposition defence with his creativity and passing in the final third. He can chip in with goals as well.
The Tottenham winger has been outstanding in his recent outings against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and NottinghamForest. He will look to extend his fine run of form with a positive performance here.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Burnley
Tottenham are undoubtedly the favourites heading into this contest, and they will be expected to grind out a comfortable victory here. Burnley are currently lacking in confidence and momentum. They have been quite vulnerable defensively as well.
The away side are likely to struggle here despite the absence of players like Son Heung-min and James Maddison for Spurs. Tottenham have enough quality in depth to grind out a victory here, and a comprehensive 3-1 is on the cards for the home team.
