Tottenham Hotspur begin 2024 with an FA Cup third-round tie at home against fellow Premier League outfit Burnley on Friday night.
The two teams meet for the first time since September when Spurs claimed a comfortable 5-2 victory over the Clarets at Turf Moor in the top flight.
Match preview
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Just three days after suffering a 4-2 defeat at Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham bounced back to end 2023 on a high with a 3-1 home victory over high-flying Bournemouth in the Premier League on New Year's Eve.
Pape Matar Sarr and Son Heung-min both found the net as a parting gift before they prepare for respective AFCON and Asian Cup duties, before Richarlison added a third – his fifth goal in as many games – to put the game to bed. Alex Scott pulled one back for the Cherries in the closing stages, but that proved inconsequential as Spurs secured their 12th top-flight win of the campaign.
Ange Postecoglou's side, sitting fifth in the Premier League table, capitalised on North London rivals Arsenal losing at Fulham as they have moved to within one point of the Gunners in fourth, while their slim title aspirations remain alive as they only sit six points adrift of leaders Liverpool heading into the second half of the season.
Before locking horns with Manchester United at Old Trafford in their next top-flight match, Tottenham shift their focus to the FA Cup and will endeavour to progress beyond the third round for the 17th time in the last 18 seasons.
The eight-time FA Cup winners will be confident of success on Friday as they have won 10 and drawn one of their last 11 home meetings with Burnley in all competitions, while they have also come out on top in five of their previous seven FA Cup ties against the Clarets, most recently winning 4-2 on home soil in the third round in 2014-15.
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This time last year, Burnley were sitting pretty at the top of the Championship table and on course to run away with the title in impressive fashion. Now, the Clarets find themselves embroiled in a Premier League relegation scrap having lost 15 of their first 20 top-flight games this term.
Vincent Kompany was left frustrated with 'soft' decisions that cost his Burnley side at least a point in last weekend's 3-2 defeat at title-hopefuls Aston Villa, a game in which the Clarets were controversially denied a penalty for a handball after Sander Berge has been sent off for two bookable offenses.
Douglas Luiz ultimately condemned Burnley to a gut-wrenching defeat when he converted an 89th-minute penalty, and Kompany's side subsequently remain 19th in the Premier League table with just 11 points, five points adrift of safety.
A potentially pivotal top-flight showdown with Luton Town is on the horizon for Burnley, but they must first turn their attention to the FA Cup, a competition in which they reached the quarter-finals last season for the first time in two decades before losing to eventual winners Manchester City.
Burnley enter Friday's contest having only won three of their last 15 away games in the FA Cup, while they last celebrated success at Tottenham back in January 1983 when they won 4-1 in the League Cup under former boss Brian Miller, who also reached the final as a player with the Clarets back in 1962.
Team News
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Tottenham trio Son, Sarr and Yves Bissouma are all away on international duty, the former with South Korea at the Asian Cup and the later two with Senegal and Mali respectively for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Postecoglou is also set to be without Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Ryan Sessegnon (all hamstring), James Maddison, Alfie Whiteman (both ankle), Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic (both knee) and Alejo Veliz (foot) due to injury.
However, Spurs were boosted by the return of midfield duo Oliver Skipp and Rodrigo Bentancur in the win over Bournemouth, the latter surprisingly returned six weeks ahead of schedule after recovering from an ankle issue, and both players will be in contention to play on Friday.
Dejan Kulusevski is available to return after serving a one-match ban last time out, while the likes of Fraser Forster, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Bryan Gil will all be hoping to force their way into the first XI.
As for Burnley, Luca Koleosho, Hjalmar Ekdal (both knee), Jack Cork (calf) and Jordan Beyer (thigh) are all sidelined with injuries, while Berge is suspended following his dismissal last weekend.
Josh Cullen missed the defeat at Villa for unspecified reasons and his availability is currently unknown, so his potential absence along with Berge's could see Aaron Ramsey handed a start in centre-midfield alongside Josh Brownhill.
Connor Roberts could be recalled at right-back at the expense of Vitinho, while Jay Rodriguez, Nathan Redmond, Mike Tresor and Jacob Bruun Larsen are among the attackers all hoping to force their way into Kompany's starting lineup.
Tottenham Hotspur possible starting lineup:
Forster; Emerson, Dier, Davies, Udogie; Skipp, Hojbjerg, Lo Celso; Kulusevski, Richarlison, Gil
Burnley possible starting lineup:
Trafford; Roberts, O'Shea, Delcroix, Taylor; Gudmundsson, Ramsey, Brownhill, Redmond; Amdouni, Rodriguez
We say: Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Burnley
Burnley's last six FA Cup ties against Premier League opposition have produced a total of 28 goals at an average of 4.7 per game, while at least three goals have been scored in 10 of Tottenham's last 11 matches in all competitions, so plenty of goalmouth action could be in store on Friday.
Although Spurs are missing a number of first-team regulars, Postecoglou still has enough strength in depth to field a reasonably strong side capable of outscoring a defensively frail Clarets outfit.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Oliver Thomas
