Tottenham Hotspur projected XI for Carabao Cup semi-final at Chelsea

Having outlasted West Ham last month at home, Tottenham Hotspur moves on to face Chelsea in one semi-final of the Carabao Cup, here are Spurs projected XI for the first leg at Stamford Bridge.

Although there is the possibility that Tottenham may be down a player or two due to some positive Covid cases in the team, it seems all systems are a go for Spurs to face Chelsea on Wednesday. With three full days since the big win over Watford at the death, we should expect a strong starting XI, reflecting the importance of this match and competition at this stage in the season.

Tottenham projected defense

Although some players may be out due to Covid, we do not know who and are not going to speculate in that regard. As such, we think Conte is going with what he knows defensively.

Goalkeeper – Hugo Lloris

One might think the non-league matches are an opportunity for Pierluigi Gollini, however, has hardly received a sniff since Conte has taken over, it seems unlikely the Italian is going to play. Instead, with the cup final the goal, club captain Hugo Lloris leads the team and stays in goal. Lloris has been fantastic since Conte’s arrival. Seeing much fewer shots than before, Lloris has been focused and effective, we need to hope that is the case against a strong Chelsea attack.

Left-back – Ben Davies

We do think Tottenham is going to explore the left-back market in the coming weeks of the transfer window. However, until that actually happens, Ben Davies is almost always starting by default. Yes, Japhet Tanganga has played there to rest Davies but that rotation is more likely to be seen again this weekend for the FA Cup against Morecambe.

Centre-back – Eric Dier

There has been speculation that Eric Dier is one of the Tottenham players with Covid, however, nothing has been confirmed absent a confirmation, Dier is starting in the heart of the defence. Dier has slipped a bit from the excellent form he started under Conte with but has managed to limit the mistakes. Clearly comfortable in his role and will be starting unless a test says otherwise.

Right-back – Davinson Sanchez

Fresh off saving the day for Tottenham over the weekend, Davinson Sanchez will be back in action on Wednesday against Chelsea. The primary beneficiary of playing time following Cristian Romero‘s injury, Sanchez has looked strong in almost all aspects of his game. He continues to be more confident on the ball and has barely done anything wrong since Conte’s arrival. Sanchez looks to be back as the defender we thought he was playing next to Toby and Jan.