Son injury wait, Maddison call, Sarr in - The Tottenham team Postecoglou must pick vs Man City

Tottenham can immediately right the wrongs of the Crystal Palace defeat by beating Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. Ange Postecoglou has not had much luck in regards to domestic cup draws since becoming Spurs boss, with this the second time Tottenham have come up against the reigning Premier League champions in cup football this year.

City were victorious at the beginning of 2024 after Nathan Ake's late goal secured a slender 1-0 win. Pep Guardiola went with a fairly strong Man City XI in that encounter but there are question marks over how exactly his team will set up on Wednesday evening.

The Spaniard mentioned after the win over Watford in the previous round that his club will not "waste energy" on the Carabao Cup this season. Regardless of whatever team Guardiola fields, Postecoglou needs a strong showing from his team and also a victory as he bids to end the club's long wait for a trophy.

So who exactly should be in his Tottenham team to take on Manchester City? Our football.london writers have made their selections below:

Rob Guest - Football writer

We usually see a fair bit of rotation in cup competitions but I would certainly be going as strong as possible at home to Manchester City on Wednesday evening. As important as Sunday's home game against Aston Villa is in regards to the team's Premier League hopes, this week's cup showdown is huge for the football club as they look to end their trophy hoodoo.

For that reason, Ange Postecoglou must name an extremely strong team as he won't want to look back on a potential cup exit following wholesale changes. You could make a case for multiple alterations, though, given the performance served up at Crystal Palace at the weekend.

So, Guglielmo Vicario starts in goal and Radu Dragusin and Djed Spence, if fit, join Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven in the backline. Pape Matar Sarr's energy was missed from the off at Crystal Palace and he comes into the team, with Rodrigo Bentancur another who could possibly start.

It is then a decision between whether Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison join the duo in the middle of the park. Son Heung-min, if in a position to return from injury, should start and complete the front three alongside Brennan Johnson and Dominic Solanke.

Guest's team: Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Sarr, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

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Sam Truelove - Content editor

Tottenham can make a real statement if they knock Manchester City out of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening. To do that, Ange Postecoglou must get his team selection spot on.

The performance against Crystal Palace at the weekend was woeful so the Australian may make a few changes to the starting line-up. Fraser Forster has been trusted in a couple of games this season and hasn't been bad when called upon so starts once again at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Djed Spence, if fit enough to return, deserves a start and I would play the 24-year-old at left back to give Destiny Udogie a rest. Apart from that the rest of the backline can be full strength, with Cristian Romero partnering Micky van de Ven at centre-back and Pedro Porro starting at right back.

Pape Matar Sarr must start for me against Pep Guardiola's side and his energy is probably exactly what Spurs need given how lacklustre they looked at Palace. I would also start James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski and hope that the creative pair can cause City lots of problems in what could be a much-changed away side team.

Up top and Dominic Solanke could do with a goal as he only has three goals in 11 appearances so far this season. Spurs captain Son Heung-min will give the team a big lift if he is fit enough to start, while Brennan Johnson will hope to continue his recent good form with another goal contribution.

Truelove's team: Forster; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Spence; Sarr, Maddison, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son.

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