Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up for an EFL Cup third-round clash against Championship side Coventry City, and Ange Postecoglou is poised to ring the changes.
The Lilywhites are hoping to return to winning ways after back-to-back Premier League defeats against Newcastle United and North London rivals Arsenal on either side of the international break.
Postecoglou’s side have made a poor start to the season, picking up just four points from four Premier League games, so the League Cup offers the Lilywhites a much-needed reprieve.
With one eye on this weekend’s Premier League London derby against Brentford, Postecoglou is poised to shake things up and tweak his starting line-up from the team that lost 1-0 to Arsenal.
Guglielmo Vicario was criticised for not commanding his box enough to prevent Gabriel Magalhaes’ match-winning header in the North London derby.
He remains Spurs’ undisputed first-choice shot-stopper, but he could be handed a breather in midweek with Fraser Forster set to take his place between the sticks.
Tottenham are short on defensive depth, so Pedro Porro and Cristian Romero could retain their spot in the XI.
They’ll likely be joined by Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies, both replacing Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie.
Postecoglou confirmed during his pre-match press conference that Yves Bissouma will sit out Wednesday’s match but remains hopeful that he will be available for the game against Brentford.
The manager has hinted at potential starts for 18-year-old duo Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall, so both of them could form a midfield three alongside Pape Matar Sarr.
Richarlison is still working his way back to full fitness after shaking off a muscle injury so Dominic Solanke could lead the line, with the former Bournemouth star desperate to get off the mark in a Spurs shirt.
Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner made substitute appearances in the North London derby and could be integrated into the starting line-up against Coventry.
Predicted Tottenham starting line-up v Coventry:
(4-3-3): Forster; Porro, Romero, Dragusin, Davies; Gray, Sarr, Bergvall; Werner, Odobert, Solanke.