Tottenham travel to non-league Tamworth in the third round of the FA Cup this afternoon, with Ange Postecoglou’s side looking to build on their midweek win over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

The Australian has managed to turn around Spurs’ fortunes in recent weeks despite an injury crisis of sorts, and this tie gives him a chance to rest some key players as they travel to face a Tamworth side in 16th place in the National League.

The minnows are one of the two remaining non-league sides left in the competition, and they sit on the edge of relegation in the fifth tier, just seven points above the drop zone,

Though that won’t stop fans from dreaming of a historic night in a tournament that has thrown up plenty of shocks over the years.

Follow all the latest updates from The Lamb Ground below:

Tamworth vs Tottenham LIVE

• Tamworth host Spurs in the third round of the FA Cup | Live on ITV1

• Non-league Tamworth are 16th in the National League

• 15’ POST’! Tom Tonks long throw causes panic in the box (0-0)

• Tamworth XI: Singh, Crompton, Cullinane-Liburd, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett, Tonks, Milnes, McLinchey, Morrison, Enoru, Creaney

• Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Reguilon; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Werner, Moore

• Spurs name strong team as James Maddison captains side

Tamworth FC 0 - 0 Tottenham Hotspur FC

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:55 , Jamie Braidwood

17 mins: OOFF! Tamworth break forward and the ball falls to Thomas McGlinchey on the edge. It’s a super hit from the winger, cutting across the ball, but Gray manages to get behind it and clears. That was travelling, though.

From the corner, Kinsky comes and makes the catch.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:53 , Jamie Braidwood

15 mins: Close! Maddison finds space on the edge of the box and whips a left-footed shot just over the bar. Maddison certainly looks a class above so far and Tamworth can’t get near him.

But the hosts have shown they have weapons, with Enoru starting well and Tonks a problem.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:50 , Jamie Braidwood

13mins; Here’s the next Tom Tonks torpedo... and it causes mayhem, hitting the post! Kinsky flaps at it at his back post, and it strikes the upright!

There’s a foul in there, somewhere, but that’s another warning for Tottenham.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:49 , Jamie Braidwood

11 mins: Tottenham captain James Maddison is left floored by opposite skipper Ben Mills - who crunches into the high ball. Just letting him know he’s there.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:46 , Jamie Braidwood

8 mins: Decent exchange between Moore and Maddison, leading to a chance for the Spurs skipper to strike at goal. It’s deflected wide, but Tottenham regain possession after the corner. It’s all Spurs at the moment.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:43 , Jamie Braidwood

5 mins: Tottenham settle the ball down with a bit of possession. The visitors are dealing with the pitch ok so far. On the wing, Johnson flashes the cross over the bar.

The Tamworth fans are making themselves heard and not all of it is suitable pre-watershed.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:40 , Jamie Braidwood

3 mins: Reguilon wins a corner at the other end but Singh claims it and releases Enoru on the break. The speedy winger wins a throw-in, which gives Tom Tonks the chance to launch his long throw into the box.

Spurs are able to clear. They pass the first test.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:38 , Jamie Braidwood

1min: SAVE! WHAT A START! Tamworth fly out of the traps and Beck-Ray Besongbap Enoru races into the box. He forces a save out of Antonín Kinsky, making just his second Spurs appearance.

Tottenham clear the corner.

KICK-OFF! Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:36 , Jamie Braidwood

The net is fixed! We’re ready to go!

Underway at the Lamb Ground.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:34 , Jamie Braidwood

Hang on... we’ve not started just yet. Kick-off has been delayed because of the net behind the Tamworth goal. It’s out of shape, drooping under the bar.

Proper FA Cup stuff, this. Ange Postecgolou is laughing at it all - with the Tamworth fans hardly giving the Spurs boss a warm welcome behind the dugout.

Tamworth keeper Jas Singh is having to help fix the net to the crossbar with sticky tape. It’s all very Sunday league.

Tamworth 0-0 Tottenham

12:31 , Jamie Braidwood

Tamworth boss Andy Peaks leads his team through the pre-match hand-shakes. He is loving this, as he should.

James Maddison leas the Spurs huddle. “From the start,” he says. And we’re off!

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, subscribers will also be able to stream the match online on ITVX.

Tamworth vs Tottenham

12:27 , Jamie Braidwood

Potential one of the highlights of Son Heung Min’s career as he takes in his surroundings at Tamworth.

The players are in the tight tunnel at the Lamb Ground - this should be a cracker and hopefully the minnows give it a good shot.

Kick-off is next!

Tamworth vs Tottenham

12:22 , Jamie Braidwood

Tottenham have trained on an artificial pitch ahead of their trip to the Lamb Ground - which has a 3G surface. Manager Ange Postecoglou said the synthetic pitch would play a part in his team selection.

“We have to be really careful about which players we expose to that. I have a fair bit of experience of that, in terms of playing on artificial pitches,” he said. “I think guys coming back from injury, it’s probably unwise to expose them to that.”

Tamworth vs Tottenham

12:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Back down to earth? On Wednesday, Tottenham were beating Premier League leaders Liverpool in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup. Now, they play a team 95 places below them in the football pyramid.

“It’s what the FA Cup is all about,” Ange Postecgolou tells ITV. “I’m sure the people of Tamworth are looking forward too it and we are as well.

“There’s a connection with grassroots somewhere, a neighbourhood where they grew up and small community clubs nourished their love for the game.

“I’m sure all the boys are looking forward to it. I think the boys are genuinely excited for the game.”

FA Cup third round: Why were replays scrapped from the competition?

12:10 , Jamie Braidwood

The FA Cup third round remains one of the most memorable weekends of the football season, but the competition will look a little different this year after a seismic change.

As always, the draw has thrown together some intriguing ties, from a showdown between two of the competition’s most successful sides in Arsenal and Manchester United, to a meeting of Tottenham Hotspur and National League side Tamworth FC.

But while these fairytale ties against top-flight sides can still be the high point of a season for some clubs in the lower tiers, the decision to scrap replays from this season onwards has not been a popular one.

The FA took the decision to scrap FA Cup replays in April 2024, with the country’s governing body working with the Premier League to come to an agreement in light of the expansion of the format to Uefa’s main competitions.

With the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League all being expanded, there were concerns about fixture congestion for sides in the top flight. Replays had already been scrapped from the fifth round onwards in previous seasons.

Who is Tom Tonks? Tamworth’s long throw weapon set to trouble Tottenham

12:00 , Jamie Braidwood

Against Huddersfield, Tom Tonks sparked panic in the defence when the non-league team piled bodies onto visiting goalkeeper Chris Maxwell and he aimed his throw under the crossbar. Tonks’ throw found the back of the net as Maxwell flapped at his punch.

“It’s difficult to defend because the trajectory of the ball is something you’re not used to,” Tonks told Football Focus.

“We’re lucky at Tamworth because we have four or five six-foot-plus blokes who want to head the ball.

“What kind of preparation can you do for a Premier League team? We know they are all going to be excellent players.

“We actually fancy our chances against anyone at home. It’s different to what they are used to, the portacabins, the artificial pitch. Funnier things have happened in football.”

Tamworth vs Tottenham

11:50 , Jamie Braidwood

A brilliant video from fifth-tier Tamworth showing what Tottenham’s squad of Premier League stars and internationals can expect at the Lamb Ground.

It’s not quite the plush facilities of the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Tamworth vs Tottenham team news and line-ups

11:36 , Jamie Braidwood

A stronger Tottenham team than many expected? Ange Postecoglou does not have much choice in some departments, especially defence, so Radu Dragusin and Archie Gray go again at centre-back.

It’s a first-choice midfield, though, with James Maddison starting as captain. Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski get a rest, but Brennan Johnson and Timo Werner start alongside teenager Mikey Moore.

Tamworth vs Tottenham team news and line-ups

11:33 , Jamie Braidwood

Tamworth XI: Singh, Crompton, Cullinane-Liburd, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett, Tonks, Milnes, McLinchey, Morrison, Enoru, Creaney

Tottenham XI: Kinsky; Porro, Dragusin, Gray, Reguilon; Sarr, Bissouma, Maddison; Johnson, Werner, Moore

Tamworth vs Tottenham

11:31 , Jamie Braidwood

The magic of the FA Cup on full display as kick-off at the Lamb Ground draws near.

Team news is coming up.

When is the FA Cup fourth-round draw? Start time, ball numbers and how to watch on TV

11:20 , Jamie Braidwood

Th e FA Cup third round is underway as Premier League and Championship sides enter the competition for the first time, with 32 ties being played over the weekend.

Cardiff, Fulham and Everton were the first teams to book their spot on Thursday night, before Aston Villa beat West Ham to deliver defeat to Graham Potter in his first game in charge of the Hammers and League One Wycombe also upset Championship Portsmouth on Friday night.

Liverpool comfortably beat Accrington Stanley and Chelsea did likewise against Morecambe but Brentford were upset by the Championship’s bottom club, managerless Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon, while before the pick of the third rounders takes place on Sunday as Manchester United face Arsenal at the Emirates.

When is the FA Cup fourth-round draw? Start time, ball numbers and how to watch on TV

Tamworth’s road to FA Cup third round

11:00 , Jamie Braidwood

Fourth qualifying round: 4-2 vs Macclesfield (7)

First round proper: 1-0 vs Huddersfield (3)

Second round: 1-1 vs Burton Albion (3) - 4-3 win on pens

Third round: vs Tottenham Hotspur (1)

Tamworth bar makes free beer for life offer to encourage FA Cup heroics

10:40 , Jamie Braidwood

A sports bar is offering free beer for life to any Tamworth FC player who scores the winning goal in the National League side’s FA Cup clash with Spurs.

The Staffordshire side take on the Premier League visitors at The Lamb on Sunday afternoon, with the general manager of the town’s Pitchers Bar describing the unusual incentive as “a little fun” ahead of the all-ticket fixture.

Bar general manager Jason Pegg said: “We’re huge supporters of Tamworth FC, and this weekend’s FA Cup match against Spurs is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the club and the community.

“What better way to show our backing than with a little fun? A winning goal means more than just a place in the record books — it’s the stuff of legends. We want to be part of that excitement, and what better way than offering free beer for life to the player who delivers the magic moment?”

Tamworth bar makes free beer for life offer to encourage FA Cup heroics

Who is Tom Tonks? Tamworth’s long throw weapon set to trouble Tottenham

10:25 , Jamie Braidwood

Non-league Tamworth’s clash with Premier League giants Tottenham has all the makings of a “proper” FA Cup third round tie, and the minnows have a “torpedo” of a weapon that may cause one of the biggest upsets in the competition’s history.

Tamworth are 16th in the National League, the fifth tier of English football, and will host a Spurs side packed with international stars such as Son Heung-min on their sloping astroturf pitch at The Lamb, in a true David vs Goliath encounter.

Tamworth’s journey to the third round included a 1-0 victory over League One outfit Huddersfield, with their winning goal coming from a not-so-secret weapon that opposition players say is “more dangerous than a corner”.

Tom Tonks, a tough-tackling midfielder who runs his own sandwich business, may claim to have English football’s longest throw since Stoke City’s Rory Delap’s trebuchet of a delivery sparked chaos in Premier League defences.

Who is Tom Tonks? Tamworth’s long throw weapon set to trouble Tottenham

Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke could get a rest at Tamworth

10:16 , Jamie Braidwood

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou will not underestimate FA Cup minnows Tamworth, but has hinted key duo Dejan Kulusevski and Dominic Solanke may get an overdue rest on Sunday.

Spurs travel to National League club Tamworth buoyed by a midweek Carabao Cup victory over Liverpool, but are still without at least eight players for this third-round tie.

Tottenham have struggled over the past six weeks with a packed schedule coupled with injury problems, which has resulted in Kulusevski and Solanke starting each of the last seven games.

“We have got to be mindful of we don’t want it to turn into a tricky game for us, we want to make sure we play our best,” Postecoglou said.

“But hopefully we can rest at least a couple of players from a full 90 minutes of football.”

Tamworth’s 3G pitch a step-up on ‘toad-covered field in Fiji'

10:11 , Jamie Braidwood

Ange Postecoglou has promised Tottenham will give Tamworth the utmost respect and insisted the non-league club’s artificial pitch is an improvement on the toad-infested surface he once encountered in Fiji.

Spurs will aim to navigate a huge banana skin on Sunday when they face National League opposition Tamworth in the FA Cup with 96 places between the clubs ahead of the plum third-round tie at The Lambs Ground.

When quizzed on Tamworth’s artificial surface, Postecoglou recounted a tale from his time as South Melbourne boss when they won 5-1 against Nadi in the final of the 1999 OFC Club Championship, which sent them through to FIFA’s Club World Championship where they faced Manchester United.

“Warming up there were toads we had to remove, which kept jumping on the pitch,” Postecoglou said.

“At the time, you’re kind of going ‘really?’, but when you realise what was at stake, a fair bit of money and the opportunity to play at the Maracana against some of the best teams in the world, we ended up playing Man United, Vasco de Gama and Necaxa of Mexico, it was quite extraordinary.”

Tamworth’s 3G pitch a step-up on toad-covered field in Fiji – Ange Postecoglou

When is Tamworth vs Tottenham?

10:06 , Jamie Braidwood

Tamworth vs Tottenham will kick off at 12.30pm GMT on Sunday 12 January at The Lamb Ground in Tamworth, England.

How can I watch it?

Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch the match live on ITV1, with coverage starting at 11.45am. Subscribers will also be able to stream the match online on ITVX.

If you want to stream major sporting events while you are travelling or watching from abroad you’ll need a VPN. Get the best VPN deals in the UK. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are, and also with the terms of their service provider.

Good morning

10:05 , Jamie Braidwood

Non-league side Tamworth host Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the FA Cup this afternoon, with the minnows looking to secure a huge cupset against Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Tamworth are in 16th place in the National League ahead of today’s game, and they are still on the edge of the relegation scrap in England’s fifth tier, sitting just seven points above the drop zone.

Meanwhile, Postecoglou has turned around Spurs’ fortunes in recent weeks, having beaten Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final in midweek.

And this tie will provide the Australian with a much-needed chance to rest some key players amidst an injury crisis in defence, with Spurs likely to field a youthful starting eleven as they make the trip to Staffordshire.