Harry Kane came off the bench to equalize for Tottenham against Leicester in the third round of the Football Association Cup by converting a controversially awarded penalty, but the King Power Stadium club have the opportunity to avenge the result in the midweek Premier League fixture.
Who makes the cut?
The hosts will be without Ryan Mason and Moussa Dembele, who missed the cup fixture with a knock and an ankle injury respectively. Clinton Njie, who is nursing his knee, will doubtless be on the sidelines. However, Mauricio Pochettino has a wealth of options to choose from, having rested seven first team regulars on Sunday night.
Dele Alli, Ben Davies, Hugo Lloris and the likes watched from the bench as their understudies took on fringe Leicester players, but will return to action in a rather important Premier League fixture.
Jamie Vardy and left-back Jeff Schlupp are the sole absentees for the visitors. Claudio Ranieri revealed after the whistle at White Hart Lane that he would not risk the English striker due to injury. Shinji Okazaki, who came off the bench to score, can be expected to start in his absence.
Riyad Mahrez, Marc Albrighton, Wes Morgan and Daniel Drinkwater enjoyed some rest as second-string players such as Leonardo Ulloa represented the Foxes, but the Leicester gaffer revealed that he would field his ‘normal players’ on Wednesday night.
What is the significance of this fixture?
Mauricio Pochettino hopes to bring Champions League football back to White Hart Lane next season. With Manchester United and Liverpool struggling, a win over fellow high-flyers Leicester will further boost his hopes of guiding the London club to a top four finish.
The visitors are under the microscope after failing to register a win in four games and claiming all three points will all but bring their season back on track. Besides, the result of this top-four clash will also have a huge psychological impact as a string of tricky fixtures follow this one.
What do the managers have to say?
Mauricio Pochettino: “It is tough for us and tough for them Leicester. It’s tough to play Premier League, Europa League and cups, but it’s for that we have a very strong squad and we made seven changes. We need to keep fit all the players, and motivated. It’s a good thing to compete and that the squad believes everyone can compete for a consistent place in the team.”
Claudio Ranieri: “Of course we are frustrated because our second half was very good, we were very calm and defended very well. It is okay. Now we have another match and it means another chance to give a game to the eight players who are not used to play because it gives me another chance to watch them. It’s a good performance.”
SoccerSouls verdict
Given the fact that the cup game ended 2-2, neither team will have a mental block going into the league game and neutrals have a humdinger of a game as both Tottenham and Leicester have been incredible this season.