Kick-off: February 18, 16:00 Venue: Crown Oil Arena
Tottenham enter their FA Cup fifth round tie with Rochdale in impressive form in all competitions.
The Lilywhites have beaten Manchester United and Arsenal and secured away draws to Liverpool and Juventus all in just over a fortnight.
Most recently, of course, they came from 2-0 down to become the first side to put two past the Bianconeri since Sampdoria beat them 3-2 back in November.
Harry Kane and Christian Eriksen, the goalscorers on Tuesday night, are likely to be rested here.
Spotland represents a very different scene to Turin and much of the talk pre-match has focused on the state of the pitch. Mauricio Pochettino aired his concerns about player safety but a new surface has been laid since their games against Fleetwood Town, Southend, and Wigan had to be called off.
It’s not just the weather which has dampened the Dale’s spirits this season, as they sit bottom of League One, 11 points off safety.
Keith Hill’s side have won just one of their last six league games, losing 3-2 to Bristol Rovers in their last outing. Ian Henderson netted a brace against the Pirates, cementing his position as the club’s top scorer with 14 in all competitions.
Team news
Pochettino has been cautious with Toby Alderweireld and did not feel the centre-back was ready to face either Arsenal or Juventus. However, he has confirmed he should be available for the weekend. While Spurs should make plenty of changes, they could benefit from Dele Alli’s experience as their only player who has played against their opponents previously, during his time with MK Dons.
Expected line-ups:
Rochdale: Lillis, Wiseman, McNulty, Delaney, Rafferty, Cannon, Camps, Kitching, Done, Henderson, Humphrys
Tottenham: Vorm, Trippier, Foyth, Alderweireld, Rose, Wanyama, Winks, Sissoko, Alli, Lamela, Llorente
Did you know?
While very few will be expecting them to upset the odds, there are significant financial rewards for Rochdale if they progress. £180,000 awaits the quarter-finalists – that’s higher than the market value of 17 of their squad.
Despite their prestige in the FA Cup, Tottenham have paid the price for failing to prioritise it in recent years. They reached the semi-finals in 2016/2017, but the last time they progressed to the last eight in back-to-back campaigns, Glenn Hoddle was in charge.
Prediction: Spurs have very rarely had a fully-fit squad this season though on this occasion, they could field an entire XI of players who haven’t featured since the north London derby should they choose.
Had the pitch stayed how it was against Millwall, it would have been tempting to think the hosts might have boasted the same advantage as Newport County at Rodney Parade in the last round. The new carpet should allow Tottenham, albeit most likely some of their second string, to play their natural game.
As they battle to stay in the third tier, this won’t be Rochdale’s most important game of the season – but it won’t feel like that on Sunday. Rochdale 0-3 Tottenham
