Match Preview: Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur in the Carabao Cup quarter-final

 

Match Preview: Stoke City v Tottenham Hotspur in the  Carabao Cup quarter-final

WED 23 DEC 2020 5.30 pm

Venue: bet365 Stadium

After two losses (Liverpool & Leicester City), we need to bounce back and bounce back quickly, and this is an excellent match to do it.

Jose Mourinho says he will field a mixed side in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Stoke City. We are two wins away from reaching the final as we chase our first major trophy since 2008.

No doubt the team he sends out will contain Premier League regulars and players who have featured in the Europa League, such as Bale.

We have already qualified for the last 32 of the Europa League. Mourinho's comments on Wednesday's match, "From the ones that are playing more times, others where we don't have great options to make changes and have to keep them, but I will try to give a little bit of a rest to two or three."

Team News:

After suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-0 defeat to Leicester at the weekend, Giovani Lo Celso is a doubt with fellow countryman Erik Lamela (Achilles) and defender Japhet Tanganga (shoulder) out. The rest should be available.

With the semi-finals one-legged games, We are three victories from winning the competition for the first time since 2008, when we beat Chelsea 2-1 after extra time. However, we are on a three-match run without a win, so we shouldn't take anything for granted.

Commenting on the Stoke game, Mourinho said, "The difference between Championship and Premier League is minimal. The teams are very good, they have very good players and have very good coaches. So even the fact we play Stoke, or Newcastle play Brentford, does not give us easier matches than the others. It is a difficult competition to win. We need to win three matches."

So, there you have it, from the horse's mouth. We can't afford to drop our guard, there are no easy matches in today's football. The clubs you underestimate are the ones who end up doing you over. Stoke are 7^th in the Championship, ten points behind league leaders Norwich City.

Stoke City vs Tottenham Hotspur Head-to-Head

In 21 previous encounters between the two sides, we hold the clear advantage. We have won 12 games, lost six and drawn three.

The two clubs last faced each other in 2018 in the English Premier League. Then we beat Stoke City 2-1, courtesy of Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane's goals.

Mame Biram Diouf scored the consolation goal for the Potters.

Stoke City form guide in the EFL Championship: W-L-D-D-W

Our form guide in the English Premier League: D-W-D-L-L

My Predicted XI: Joe Hart, Matt Doherty, Toby Alderweireld, Eric Dier, Ben Davies, Harry Winks, Moussa Sissoko, Tanguy Ndombele, Lucas Moura, Carlos Vinicius, Gareth Bale. With Sons & Kane on the bench.

My prediction 4-0. However, after a couple of goals, Mourinho might rest some players and go for a few youngsters, which could mean fewer goals for us.

I know that Mourinho takes all competitions seriously, unlike Pochettino who didn't respect this cup or the FA Cup. He was only interested in the League or the European Champions League but left the club with nothing. Mourinho is expected to take us to the next level.

Enjoy the game, take care and speak soon,

Glenn

 COYS!