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With three goalkeepers out injured, O’Neill has chosen to give a start between the sticks to 37-year-old Andy Lonergan , who hasn’t played a competitive match for nearly two years. The unrested Harry Kane will be deadset on testing his reflexes … and look, there’s Dele Alli, given a chance to play his way back into José’s heart … or attract January bidders.
Stoke: Lonergan; Collins, Souttar, Batth; Smith, Thompson, Cousins, Fox; Oakley-Boothe, Brown, McClean
Subs: Fletcher, Ince, Shawcross, Powell, Noukeu, Vokes
Spurs: Lloris; Doherty, Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Hojbjerg, Winks, Alli, Lucas; Bale, Kane
Subs: Hart, Alderweireld, Reguilon, Sissoko, Lamela, Son, Vinicius
Referee: D England
Updated
Preamble
Hello. Stoke City win trophies at a rate of one every 153 years so they wouldn’t exactly have been viewed as prime contenders to win this season’s Carabao Cup even before being pitted against one of the best teams in England. Yes, that means Spurs even though they come into this game on the back of defeats to Liverpool and Leicester, two of the five teams above them in the Premier League table. With jumping back up that table being their chief priority for this season – and this being one of three matches Spurs have to play in a week – José Mourinho is likely to make several changes to his usual starting lineup. But make no mistake, he would like to win this tournament to prove he has turned Spurs into winners and he has a mighty squad so the Premier League side should certainly be expected to beat a team sitting seventh in the Championship. But Michael O’Neill, who took over Stoke last season when they were bottom of Tier 2, has a proud record of upsetting teams with far greater resources, especially from his time with Northern Ireland and Shamrock Rovers. Stoke have already ousted Wolves and Aston Villa this season and are capable of bloodying Tottenham’s noses. Let’s be having you!
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