Tottenham and Brentford lock horns in the Carabao Cup semi-finals to eye first silverware of this Football season. Spurs are coming off a 3-0 victory against Leeds to return to the top four in Premier League, while Brentford retained the fourth spot in the Championship.
Match Timings: Dec 06, 1:15 AM IST
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The Carabao Cup semifinals start on Tuesday, and in the first match, the Spurs will face highly-boosted Brentford. The winner of this game will face either Man City or Man United in the final. Jose Mourinho is optimistic about getting the silverware this season, and the Spurs side got the top four spot in Premier League, despite City’s magical win against Chelsea. Their journey to the semifinals is excellent. Mourinho’s side defeated Chelsea on penalties and then edged past Stoke City in the quarterfinal. In a previous Premier League outing, Tottenham overcame Leeds 3-0 at home. Harry Kane and Son both scored a goal each to give a 2-0 lead in the first time, followed by Alderweireld’s 50th minute strike. Spurs have won this title four times, and they have the edge over the Bees in head-to-head clashes. Tottenham have faced Brentford twice in recent years, and the Spurs have defeated them in the 2000-01 edition of this competition.
Meanwhile, Brentford upset all the odds to crack the top four in League Cup, and they have been tremendous so far. The Bees defeated Wycombe Wanderers in penalties and got the better of West Bromwich Albion in the next match. The Championship side edged past Premier League sides, Southampton, Fulham, and Newcastle United, to reach here. Thomas Frank's men are unbeaten since October 24, and they’re keen to extend its 16-matches unbeaten run. They are the only Championship side in the top four, and Frank will hope to give a tough time to the Spurs. In the previous match, they defeated Bournemouth 2-1, and despite the cancellation of Saturday's fixture with Bristol City, they strengthen their position in the top four.
Mourinho will go with the strong lineup in this match as he is keen to win the silverware for the Spurs. They will be without midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and forward Gareth Bale due to injury. Erik Lamela has tested positive for COVID-19, so his availability is in doubt. Right-back Matt Doherty took a red card in the previous meeting with Leeds, and he will miss out through suspension. For Brentford, Thomas Frank will drop Mads Roerslev and Shandon Baptiste.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Tottenham
Lloris; Aurier, Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Hojbjerg, Sissoko; Moura, Alli, Son; Kane
Current form: D L L W D W
Previous match: 3-0 victory against Leeds (PL)
Brentford
Raya; Dalsgaard, Jansson, Pinnock, Henry; Dasilva, Janelt, Jensen; Mbuemo, Toney, Canos
Current form: W D W W W W
Previous match: 2-1 victory against Bournemouth (Championship)
Key Players
Tottenham
Harry Kane
10 goals in Premier League 2020-21
Sons
12 goals in Premier League 2020-21
Brentford
Ivan Toney
16 goals in Championship 2020-21
Sergi Canos
4 goals in Championship 2020-21