“Spurs looking to taste the glory of the COC”

Sexual innuendo aside, Tottenham Hotspur are set to play a strong squad for tonight’s Capital One Cup encounter with Carlisle United.

Spurs head into the game on the back of Sunday’s 2-1 win over Queen’s Park Ranger, while their League One counterparts secured victory over Coventry City by the same margin.

Head coach Andre Villas-Boas is expected to ring the changes for the trip to Brunton Park, with the 34-year-old expected to have one eye on the Saturday’s Premier League fixture with Manchester United.

Michael Dawson, Steven Caulker, Tom Huddlestone and Andros Townsend are all expected to start the encounter, while Tom Carroll could also find himself in the starting XI with Jermaine Jenas expected to complete his return to Nottingham Forest.

Reports suggest Hugo Lloris and Gareth Bale haven’t made the trip to Carlisle, while Villas-Boas will be without long-term absentees Scott Parker (Achilles), Jake Livermore (groin), Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee) and Younes Kaboul (knee), while the game is likely to come too soon for Emmanuel Adebayor (hamstring) and Kyle Naughton (foot).

Possible starting XI:

Cudicini; Smith, Dawson, Caulker, Vertonghen; Huddlestone, Carroll; Falque, Sigurdsson, Townsend; Dempsey 

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