Tottenham Hotspur are set for a FA Cup third round replay as they managed just a 1-1 draw last week at the Riverside Stadium against Middlesbrough. The Jose Mourinho bump has definitely worn off now as Spurs are winless in their last four across all competitions.
While this match, ideally, would provide the perfect time for Mourinho to rotate his squad, perhaps that won’t happen. For one, he badly needs a result and the FA Cup competition provides the best opportunity for Mourinho and Spurs to get a trophy this season.
After a draw last week, Mourinho knows he needs to field a strong team to get a result and with all the injuries they have suffered, the depth chart is thinning.
Moussa Sissoko is out the next three months after having undergone surgery to repair knee ligament damage. Also, the injury prone (as Mourinho himself will tell you) Tanguy Ndombele (groin strain) is also out long term, leaving the side with just five fit central midfielders on the current roster.
Meanwhile talisman Harry Kane (left hamstring tendon rupture) will be on the sidelines until at least April, as he’ll need surgery to repair his injury. Additionally, Ben Davies (ankle) and Hugo Lloris (elbow) remain long term injury absentees.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction vs Middlesbrough FA Cup 3rd Round Replay
Alli Moura
Son Winks Eriksen Aurier
Rose Vertonghen Alderweireld Sanchez
Gazzaniga
Tottenham Hotspur vs Middlesbrough FA Cup 3rd Round Replay
January 14, 8:05 pm, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
TV/Stream: BBC1, BBC iPlayer
Odds via Bet365: Tottenham Hotspur win 1/4, Over/Under on goals 2.5
Prediction: Tottenham Hotspur 2, Middlesbrough 0
Spurs are banged up, but Mourinho loves for these kinds of cup games, and he’ll fire up his side to a win.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly appears on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
You can follow Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com on Twitter here and his cat on Instagram at this link.