It’s time to go deep, Tottenham Hotspur. Yes, a trip to Deepdale, for the first time since 2009, when Spurs whooped Preston North End, 5-1, in that year’s League Cup competition.
This will be the first meeting between these two sides, in any competition, since that fateful day, but this time it’s in the fourth round of the FA Cup. Once again Spurs will be on the road, and we’ll look at what kind of team we might see on the pitch at the opening whistle.
Tottenham Hotspur at Preston North End FA Cup 4th Round FYIs
Kick-off time: 6PM GMT, 28 January 2023, Deepdale
Tottenham Team News: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Stat Pack: Harry Kane in his last 14 FA Cup home matches, has scored 14 goals
Tottenham would love to replicate that result, and in the spirit of doing so, we think manager Antonio Conte will go with a decently strong team. Team talisman Harry Kane should get the call, as he looks to make his own special place in the club’s scoring record books.
Here’s what we have as our prediction for his supporting cast.
Tottenham Starting XI Prediction at Preston (FA Cup 4th Round) Formation: 3-4-2-1
Fraser Foster; Clement Lenglet, Eric Dier; Cristian Romero, Ryan Sessegnon, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Oliver Skipp; Matt Doherty, Ivan Perisic, Bryan Gil; Harry Kane
Prediction: Tottenham 2, Preston 0
Spurs should really cruise here, no problem.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He’s written for numerous publications, including the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. He regularly appears on NTD News and WGN News Now. Follow the website on Twitter and Instagram.