Tottenham vs Brentford LIVE: Team news, line-ups and more ahead of Carabao Cup semi-final tonight
Follow all the action as Tottenham Hotspur host Brentford in the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Jose Mourinho is bidding to win his first trophy as Spurs manager and the club’s first since winning this competition in 2008. Tottenham defeated Chelsea on penalties in the round of 16 before cruising to a 3-1 victory against Stoke City in the quarter-finals. Mourinho’s side are in a rich vein of form, too, having thrashed Leeds 3-0 last time out and remain just four points adrift of Premier League leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, despite somewhat of a slump during December.
For Brentford, meanwhile, it is the first time they have reached the semi-finals of a major domestic cup competition in their 131-year history. The Bees have picked off a series of top flight scalps en route to this stage, starting with Southampton in the second round before all of West Brom, Fulham and Newcastle fell victim to last year’s playoff finalists. Daniel Farke’s side might have lost star forwards Ollie Watkins and Said Benrahma over the summer, but they are vying for promotion once again and boast a wealth of exciting young players. The winner of tonight’s tie will face either Manchester United or Manchester City in the final. Follow all the action live below:
Independent Football Newsletter
Get the latest football headlines direct to your inbox twice a week
Read our full mailing list consent terms here
Independent Football Newsletter
Get the latest football headlines direct to your inbox twice a week
Read our full mailing list consent terms here
- When is the Carabao Cup final?
- Semi-finalists allowed to make five subs
Spurs are participating in their 16th League Cup semi-final, progressing from eight of their previous 15 attempts, most recently in 2014/15. They have always progressed when facing a non-top-flight side: 1970/71 vs Bristol City, 2008/09 vs Burnley, 2014/15 vs Sheffield United.
The Bees have already eliminated four Premier League teams in this season’s League Cup, only the second non-Premier League side to do so in a season, after Bristol City in 2017/18 who were eventually beaten in the semi-final by Manchester City.
Brentford are featuring in their first ever League Cup semi-final, becoming the 59th team to reach this stage. The last time a team reached this stage for the first time and progressed to the final was in 2012/13 (Bradford City and Swansea City).
Brentford come into the game on a run of 16 matches unbeaten which is the longest current run of any side in English football. They are also looking to register three consecutive wins in the League Cup for the first time in their history.
The warm-ups are underway. Have Brentford got what it takes to overcome Spurs tonight?
It’s all about the trophies for Jose Mourinho who believes it is the next step for Tottenham’s development. He said:
“Two difficult matches, of course, but if we win we get a trophy, which I think would be a very good thing for the club and for the players,
“It is about my club, it is about the players who want trophies, it is about fans who want trophies and this one is the one where we just need two victories.
“Of course, [we face] difficult opponents but we need two victories and need to look at this semi-final with this ambition, respecting a very, very good team who kicked a few very good Premier League teams out of the competition.”
This is the fourth time Spurs and Brentford will meet in the League Cup, with all previous three meetings coming across two legs in the second round in 1992/93, 1998/99 and 2000/01, with Spurs going through each time.
In all competitions, Brentford have never won an away match against Spurs in seven attempts. They’ve drawn twice and lost five times. Their last win over Spurs was in March 1948 in a league match at Griffin Park.
They’re due a win then aren’t they?
Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko says that this game is a good chance for Spurs to reach a final but he knows not to take Brentford for granted. He told Sky Sports:
We have got a great opportunity to reach the final against a good opponent, who are doing very well.
“We have to take these games seriously, play our game and hopefully, we can qualify for the final. [Jose Mourinho] told us to take Brentford seriously. They are doing very well in the Championship.
“It’s a semi-final, so everyone wants to fight and play well. We have a big battle to make sure we can go through.
“We have to start the game well, focus on every aspect, be strong defensively and go forward – don’t sit back. We know they are going to push, we have to make them defend and if we do that again, it will be more open.”
Jose Mourinho has previously won the competition four times.
It was the first trophy he won in English football at Chelsea in 2005 and he won it twice more with them before a further success as Manchester United manager in 2017.
Mourinho is bidding to become the third manager to reach an EFL Cup final with three different clubs.
Brentford have defeated four Premier League teams in their run to the Carabao Cup semi-finals. The first major semi-final in the club’s history. If they’re going to lift the trophy this season they’ll need to repeat their success twice more.
First up Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham.
Brentford manager Thomas Frank says it is a privilege to go up against such a competitor as Mourinho:
I have studied football for many years and Jose is one of the greatest of all time so it’s a privilege to play against his team,
“I admire him a lot for having that fantastic career. But when the whistle blows it’s just another bloke standing in the dug-out. I’m still pretty sure he also goes to the toilet sometimes!”
Source: Read Full Article