Tottenham Hotspur host Charlton Athletic on Wednesday evening in the Carabao Cup, with manager attention focused on squad depth and fitness after a difficult Premier League outing against Brentford at the weekend. The match kicks off at 7.45pm BST at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and will be shown on Sky Sports+.
One of the main talking points ahead of the tie is the potential debut of new signing Savio, whose registration was confirmed and approved by the FA on Tuesday, making him eligible to feature. However, the club's head coach remained uncertain over whether the player is ready to be involved from the start or would instead be introduced from the bench.
"Savio, I don't know if he's ready to play if everything is ok to play or on the bench," the manager said during his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
The fixture arrives at a testing moment for the north London side, who endured what was described as a shocking performance in their previous league outing at the Gtech Community Stadium against Brentford. That result has left the manager with plenty of decisions to make as he attempts to spark a morale-boosting response and get the team's campaign moving in the right direction.
Among the issues to address is the continued absence of Mohammed Kudus, who has returned to full team training following a serious quad injury but remains unavailable for selection. England midfielder James Maddison also remains sidelined after suffering a setback in his recovery from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that kept him out for the majority of last season. Maddison had appeared as a substitute at the Gtech Community Stadium before his latest fitness issue.
There was more encouraging news on the defensive front, with both Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro set to be included among the substitutes after being left out of the matchday squad against Brentford due to fitness concerns. Their return to the bench offers the club greater options as the campaign progresses.
Academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett is also poised to be named among the substitutes, having impressed during pre-season. The manager revealed he had given serious thought to including the youngster in the Premier League squad for the Brentford fixture before ultimately deciding against a debut at that stage.
Up front, striker Dominic Solanke is available for selection and could be handed a starting role having come off the bench in the previous league match. Meanwhile, questions remain over whether Lucas Bergvall will retain his place in the side after struggling to cope with the intensity Brentford brought to their meeting.
The predicted lineup for the Carabao Cup tie includes Dubravka in goal, with a back four of Gray, Van Hecke, Davies and Udogie. In midfield, Bentancur, Tonali and Fernandes are tipped to feature, while Moore and Tel could support Solanke in attack.
With cup football offering an opportunity to rotate the squad and give fringe players valuable minutes, Wednesday's contest against Charlton Athletic represents both a chance for the club to build momentum and a platform for younger or returning players to stake their claim for involvement in the coming weeks.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.