Date: Wednesday, December 18 Venue: White Hart Lane Kick-Off: 19:45 Can managerless Tottenham put their difficulties behind them by progressing to the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup when they take on West Ham on Wednesday night?
Team News
Tottenham caretaker manager Tim Sherwood will take charge of his first game without the suspended duo of Paulinho and captain Michael Dawson. Midfielder Sandro has a calf injury and will not feature, but Vlad Chiriches, Christian Eriksen, Younes Kaboul and Danny Rose are all back in contention. West Ham captain Kevin Nolan is serving the second of his three-match ban, while Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, Mladen Petric, Winston Reid and Ricardo Vaz Te are all out. James Tomkins (groin) is a minor doubt. (bbc)
Key Stats
Spurs have won the League Cup four times - in 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008. West Ham ended a run of 12 league games without a win at White Hart Lane that stretched back to 1999 when they won there in October. Tottenham are unbeaten against West Ham in their last three League Cup clashes. The Hammers have scored in 20 of their last 21 League Cup games, including the last 14 in a row.
Likely Line-Ups
Spurs Friedel, Naughton, Kaboul, Chiriches, Rose, Dembele, Capoue, Lamela, Eriksen, Townsend, Defoe West Ham Jaaskelainan, O'Brien, Collins, Tomkins, Rat, Collison, Noble, Taylor, J. Cole, Jarvis, C. Cole
Match Preview
As one club prepare for life without their manager, another could be about to go the same way as under fire boss Sam Allardyce takes his side to White Hart Lane on Wednesday. Tottenham disposed of Andre Villas-Boas on Monday following their 5-0 stuffing at the hands of Liverpool and Allardyce will suffer the same fate unless his side enjoys a dramatic upturn in fortunes. The Hammers were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw with basement boys Sunderland at the weekend and sit just a point and a place above the relegation zone, and like Spurs have endured a similarly miserable festive period having failed to win a game all month. What would put the stride back into both club's step however would be to reach the semi-finals of the Capital One Cup, which would go some way to undoing all the misery currently inflicting these two London sides. West Ham memorably prevailed 3-0 the last time these two met two months ago, but Spurs are unbeaten against the Hammers in their last three League Cup clashes. Something's got to give, and one way or the other, one of these sides are going to pick up a much-needed boost by the end of the evening. Prediction: 2-0
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
