Football: Tired Spurs will still take League Cup seriously
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Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte shakes hands with Harry Kane after the 2-1 loss to Liverpool over the weekend.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur assistant manager Cristian Stellini has insisted his team will take the League Cup seriously and will field a strong team for their third-round clash at fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.
Spurs, despite being fourth in the English top flight, are heading into the match in poor form. They lost 2-1 to Liverpool at home
“Every game we play, we play a team that is capable of winning,” Stellini said, in reference to manager Antonio Conte’s team picks and also how they will approach the Forest clash.
“I watch many games and, in this last month, it’s not easy to find attractive football because many teams, in all the leagues in Europe, we are playing a lot... We’ve used up a lot of energy in the past month.”
Tottenham’s recent results are concerning for Conte, and they have a big game at home against Leeds United on Saturday, so it remains to be seen if the manager will rotate his squad for Wednesday.
The League Cup may not be their priority – getting into top four in the Premier League is a much more attractive prize – but it could be their best chance of silverware this season.
Conte will again be without South Korean star forward Son Heung-min, who had surgery at the end of last week to treat a fracture around his left eye.
Richarlison could be back after recovering from a calf problem while Dejan Kulusevski may be involved following his return from a hamstring injury.
Forest, who were promoted to the Premier League this season, had lost 2-0 to Spurs at the City Ground in August.
Their manager Steve Cooper will be hoping to set things right.
“You’ve got to try to have the right mentality and the right spirit,” he said. “Commit to the plan, commit to the style of play and the way we train, and take each game as it comes. It’s one we want to do well in.”
He will be without the injured Omar Richards, Harry Toffolo, Giulian Biancone, Jack Colback and Moussa Niakhate.
AFP, REUTERS
