Tottenham guaranteed to be without two players against Man City after 'serious' setback

Tottenham Hotspur take part in the tie of the round later tonight when they welcome Pep Guardiola's Manchester City to London for the next round of the Carabao Cup.

When Ange Postecoglou said earlier in the season that he 'always' wins silverware in his second season in charge of a club, Spurs knew the risks of such a bold statement. A kind run to a cup final could have helped this statement become reality, but instead the luck of the draw pitted them against serial Premier League winners Man City.

Tottenham have boasted a stronger home record than most against this particular opponent, going on a five-game winning streak at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before losing twice last season in the league and FA Cup. What's more, Guardiola has hinted that he will select a rotated line-up to further advantage the home side.

"Always, I use the first rounds to play the guys who didn’t play maybe regularly," he told the press ahead of tonight.

"But now we have a problem. We have a lot of injured players. I cannot take as much, but I don’t want to put that much pressure on the young, young players to be in this stage against this opponent for the way they play. That’s why I have to make a mix for the players. Split minutes."

It will be on the hosts to capitalise if an imbalanced City team arrives on their doorstep, no matter what adversity they face themselves.

It is confirmed that Spurs will be without captain Son Heung-min again as his return to action is eyed for the weekend's Premier League meeting with Aston Villa. He has been absent for five of the last six matches.

"Son is almost fit but probably from our perspective we'll aim for the weekend. We're quite confident he'll be right for the weekend," Postecoglou said on Tuesday.

And the only other issue they have will be the lack of Wilson Odobert in the matchday squad. The £25m summer signing started his Spurs career brightly, only to pick up a hamstring problem in the last round of the Carabao Cup away to Coventry City.

"The only other one missing out which is a bit of a disappointment is Wilson, who has had a setback during the week and it seems like it is a serious one so we're just waiting for more information," Postecoglou added, confirming that the 19-year-old does not have a reoccurring injury but one in the same area.

As a boost amid the double injury blow, Djed Spence returned to training after Sunday's defeat to Crystal Palace and could be involved.