A spot in the EFL Cup third round will be up for grabs when Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday.
The games have already started coming thick and fast in England, and this midweek will bear witness to the EFL Cup. Wednesday will feature some eye-catching matches, with Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic pitting two teams on the opposite end of the form spectrum.
Tottenham Hotspur could not have asked for a worse way to start the 2026/27 season, as they suffered a 3-0 defeat to Brentford. Roberto De Zerbi will argue that the result is not a reflection of the work he put in during the off-season. The Italian tactician will thus use the EFL Cup clash as an opportunity to set the record straight and rebuild momentum.
On the other hand, Charlton Athletic’s start to the 2026/27 season has been spectacular, as they have won all three games thus far. The Addicks have clinched successive 2-1 wins to kick off their EFL Championship campaign, with the results lifting them to third in the standings. Nathan Jones and his charges entered the EFL Cup in the first round, cruising to a 3-1 win over Cheltenham Town.
The most recent match featuring Tottenham and Charlton Athletic happened in the FA Cup third round in the 2008/09 season, with the North London club cruising to a 3-0 win. The Hard Tackle looks closer at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
Tottenham Hotspur
Roberto De Zerbi has no new issues hampering his preparations ahead of his side’s latest fixture. The Tottenham Hotspur head coach will be bereft of the services of seven first-team players vs Charlton Athletic on Wednesday.
Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro are still working up their match fitness, though both players are closing in on returning. Meanwhile, Pape Matar Sarr should be back from a hamstring injury later this week. Mohammed Kudus (thigh) should return next month, while Wilson Odobert, Xavi Simons, and Dejan Kulusevski are long-term absentees due to their knee injuries.
Martin Dubravka should make his competitive bow for his new club, with Tottenham Hotspur lining up in a 4-3-3 formation in front of him vs Charlton Athletic on Wednesday. The backline will feature Archie Gray, Jan Paul van Hecke, Kevin Danso, and Destiny Udogie.
As for the midfield unit, Mateus Fernandes should line up alongside Rodrigo Betancur and Lucas Bergvall in the middle of the park. Finally, Dominic Solanke will lead the line for Tottenham, with Mathys Tel and Mikey Moore being the two wide attackers.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Dubravka; Gray, van Hecke, Danso, Udogie; Fernandes, Bentancur, Bergvall; Moore, Solanke, Tel
Charlton Athletic
Unlike his counterpart in the Tottenham Hotspur dugout, Nathan Jones has received a positive update on the team news front ahead of the trip to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The Charlton Athletic manager will be without only four first-team players on Wednesday.
Kayne Ramsay (ankle) and Charlie Kelman (shoulder) remain in the treatment room for the away side, and they are unavailable for the foreseeable future. Josh Edwards has resumed training, but Wednesday’s match will come too soon for him. Similarly, Timothy Ouma may not be fit enough to feature in the midweek EFL Cup clash.
Thomas Kaminski should replace Arthur Okonkwo between the sticks, with Charlton Athletic lining up in a 4-2-3-1 formation in front of him vs Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday. The backline will feature Joe Rankin-Costello, Lloyd Jones, Reece Burke, and Amari’i Bell.
As for the midfield unit, Nathaniel Chalobah should line up alongside Conor Coventry in the double pivot, with Sonny Carey reprising the no. 10 role. Finally, Miles Leaburn will spearhead the Charlton Athletic attack on Wednesday, with Karlan Grant and Tyreece Campbell completing the numbers in the offensive unit.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Kaminski; Rankin-Costello, Jones, Burke, Bell; Chalobah, Coventry; Campbell, Carey, Grant; Leaburn
Key Stats
- Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic have previously faced off 55 times, with the North London club having the superior head-to-head record with 29 wins (D10 L16).
- Tottenham are on a five-game winning run vs Charlton Athletic, with the Addicks’ most recent win over the North London club coming in March 2005.
- Charlton Athletic are on a three-game winning run at the start of the 2026/27 season, including the 3-1 win over Cheltenham Town in the EFL Cup first round.
- Tottenham Hotspur’s record in the EFL Cup at home is reasonably strong, as they have won eight of their last 12 matches.
- Meanwhile, Charlton Athletic have won only half of their 12 most recent EFL Cup matches.
Player to Watch
Dominic Solanke
While Miles Leaburn, Karlan Grant, and Mathys Tel were viable candidates for this section, we have picked Dominic Solanke as the Player to Watch for Wednesday’s EFL Cup second round tie between Tottenham Hotspur and Charlton Athletic at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
The English striker will know that the 2026/27 season is make-or-break for him after struggling to make his mark since arriving from Bournemouth, and he has a sub-par record of 22 goals and eight assists in 66 appearances across all competitions. Now is the time for him to step up and show that the big-money outlay on him was worth it.
Prediction
Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic will believe they have a genuine chance to spring a surprise and secure a shock win over Tottenham Hotspur and progress further in the EFL Cup. The Lilywhites are reeling from the 3-0 defeat to Brentford and are under-strength due to fitness issues and personnel availability concerns.
However, the Addicks have shown defensive vulnerabilities in all three of their outings, which will give Tottenham some hope. With Dominic Solanke striving to make his mark and James Maddison regaining sharpness, Tottenham should exploit Charlton’s weaknesses to eke out a hard-fought victory. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Roberto De Zerbi and his charges.