Looking to respond positively from major disappointment at the weekend, Tottenham Hotspur will travel to Championship side Coventry City in the third round of the EFL Cup on Wednesday night.
Spurs are in the West Midlands following a North London derby defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal, with the Sky Blues aiming to cause an upset against a Premier League giant at The Coventry Building Society Arena.
After a lacklustre one-goal defeat to Norwich City at the CBS Arena prior to the international break, Coventry returned from their two-week hiatus with a respectable point at the home of in-form Watford in the Championship on Saturday afternoon, although the visitors arguably should have collected maximum points.
A hero of the Sky Blues’ FA Cup campaign during 2023-24, Ellis Simms fired his troops into the lead at Vicarage Road and Mark Robins’s side should have been three or four ahead by the half-time whistle, but a second goal never materialised, with Hornets midfielder Tom Dele-Bashiru forcing a share of the spoils.
With a strong recent history of competing for promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs, there is genuine expectation from supporters for Coventry to do the same this season, although Wednesday’s hosts have endured a stuttering start to their second-tier mission, winning just one of five contests, meaning that they are languishing in 15th place.
Two of the Sky Blues’ three competitive victories so far in 2024-25 have arrived in the EFL Cup, with the West Midlands outfit having goals from former Sunderland and Everton marksman Simms and summer signing Brandon Thomas-Asante to thank for wins over Bristol City and Oxford United respectively.
Whilst one-time winners of the FA Cup, Coventry’s pedigree in this competition is less impressive, with Robins’s men dumped out of the EFL Cup at the first-round stage last season by League Two side AFC Wimbledon, who netted two in quick succession during the final five minutes at The Cherry Red Records Stadium in August 2023.
For a third straight match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against their North London nemesis, Spurs were dealt the horrible blow of derby defeat on Sunday afternoon, when a second-half header from Arsenal centre-back Gabriel snatched maximum Premier League points for Mikel Arteta’s visitors.
With the Gunners missing influential duo Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice in the engine room, the Lilywhites dominated proceedings in terms of possession and created the majority of the chances, but their inability to convert statistics into goals reared its ugly head once again.
As usual suspects Manchester City and Arsenal sit in the top spots at the head of the Premier League table, Spurs are battling in 13th position after collecting just four points from as many matches, with their only victory coming against a helpless Everton side on August 24.
Despite his men failing to click in front of goal so far this campaign, Ange Postecoglou has remained bullish when questioned over the Lilywhites’ trophy-winning credentials, claiming that he is confident of guiding the North Londoners to silverware after a 16-year drought.
Amid their enjoyment of a 10-game unbeaten start to the Premier League last season, Spurs were dumped out of the EFL Cup at the second-round stage – lazily giving up a chance of a trophy – by London neighbours Fulham, with a much-changed visiting XI losing at Craven Cottage following a penalty shootout.
Unable to bring on a midfield alternative at Watford on the weekend, Coventry are suffering massively from the absence of Ben Sheaf, who is fighting to be back at the end of the month from a leg injury.
The Sky Blues picked up a fresh fitness concern at Vicarage Road, where Joel Latibeaudiere was forced off in the second period with a knock.
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto’s injury-riddled 2024 has continued into the new campaign, with the Japanese winger out of action until October due to an ankle issue.
Tottenham remain without the services of forward Richarlison, with the Brazilian in the visitors’ medical room as he continues to recover from a muscle injury.
As a result, £65m summer arrival Dominic Solanke could continue at the tip of the Spurs attack following his home debut for the club on Sunday.
Yves Bissouma is a doubt for the trip to the CBS Arena, meaning that midfielders Pape Sarr and Lucas Bergvall have a good chance of earning starts.
Making cameos off the bench in the North London derby defeat, Wilson Odobert and Timo Werner could be tasked with causing Coventry damage from the first while on Wednesday night.
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