Tottenham will be hoping to bounce back from their opening‑day defeat to Brentford with a win against Championship side Charlton Athletic on Wednesday night, and we’ve now attempted to predict De Zerbi’s XI ahead of the Carabao Cup round‑two encounter.
Tottenham Hotspur‘s attention is set to turn to the Carabao Cup following their abysmal Premier League opening, a 3-0 defeat to Brentford.
Roberto De Zerbi’s men were poor in their league opener, but now have the chance to make amends with a game against Championship side Charlton Athletic.
However, Tottenham will have to work hard for a victory on Wednesday night as Charlton come into the round two clash in good form, having won their last three games, including a 2-1 win over West Ham in their most recent outing.
With the Carabao Cup match only a few days away, we have now attempted to predict how Roberto De Zerbi could set his side up.
Tottenham predicted XI vs Charlton Athletic
Goalkeeper – Martin Dubravka: With this being a cup tie, Wednesday could see summer signing Martin Dubravka earn his first competitive start in a Tottenham shirt.
Right-back – Archie Gray: De Zerbi has already confirmed that Pedro Porro will start on the bench, and who else is there to play right-back apart from Archie Gray? It’s a shame that Jun’ai Byfield isn’t fit.
Centre-back – Jan Paul van Hecke: It was far from the ideal debut for Jan Paul van Hecke, who conceded three against Brentford on Saturday. But with van de Ven nursing a minor problem, we expect the Dutchman to start from the off once more.
Centre-back – Kevin Danso: The Austrian centre-back looks set to gain his first start of the season as De Zerbi freshens things up at the back against the Championship side.
Left-back – Destiny Udogie: Andy Robertson got the nod in the Brentford game, while Udogie managed a brief cameo off the bench in the second half. With the Italian not featuring in pre-season, there is a need for him to build his match fitness, and that should see him start on Wednesday.
Defensive midfielder – Rodrigo Bentancur: We do not expect Tonali to be involved in the cup tie as De Zerbi will be counting on him in league games. Bentancur, on the other hand, got some minutes off the bench against Brentford and could start this midweek.
Centre-midfielder – Mateus Fernandes: The Portuguese was arguably Spurs’ best player against Brentford despite coming off the bench. Against Charlton, we expect the midfield to be freshened up, and that should see Fernandes start.
Centre-midfielder – Lucas Bergvall: The Swedish international put in a poor performance last time out against Brentford and was taken off at half-time. He would be eager to make amends and could be given a second chance against Charlton.
Right-winger – Mikey Moore: Tottenham remain short in attack and that should see Moore start again from the right just before he heads out on loan. Williams-Barnett could be selected if Moore’s transfer is close, though.
Striker – Dominic Solanke: Richarlison was pretty underwhelming against Brentford, and he could be benched on Wednesday, with Solanke coming into the side.
Left-winger – Savinho: De Zerbi said he is not sure whether Savinho is ready, so we could see Tel again here, or even young Luca Williams-Barnett. But, let’s be honest, the fans want to see their new signing.