Tottenham will host Burnley in the FA Cup third round on Friday. The two teams square up for the first time since September. Spurs defeated the Clarets 5-2 at Turf Moor in the Premier League.
Preview (Tottenham Hotspur vs. Burnley)
Three days after losing 4-2 at Brighton & Hove Albion, Tottenham recovered to overcome high-flying Bournemouth 3-1 at home on New Year’s Eve in the Premier League to cap off 2023. Before heading out for their respective AFCON and Asian Cup commitments, Pape Matar Sarr and Son Heung-min both struck the back of the net. Richardson then scored a third goal, his fifth in as many games, to wrap up the match. In the closing moments, Alex Scott pulled one back for the Cherries. Spurs went on to win their 12th straight top-flight game.
The eight-time FA Cup winners will be optimistic about their chances on Friday. They have triumphed in five of their previous seven FA Cup matches against the Clarets. Most recently they won 4-2 at home in the third round of 2014–15. They have also won 10 of their last 11 home meetings with Burnley in all competitions and drawn one. Currently, the Clarets are involved in a Premier League relegation battle after losing 15 of their first 20 games.
During last weekend’s 3-2 loss to title-hopeful Aston Villa, the Clarets were controversially denied a penalty. Sanders Berge was sent off for two bookable offenses. Vincent Kompany was left frustrated by “soft” decisions that cost his Burnley side at least a point. Douglas Luiz’s penalty kick in the 89th minute sent Burnley reeling. Kompany’s team dropped to 19th place in the Premier League standings with just 11 points. They are five points outside of safety. Burnley will face Luton Town in a potentially crucial top-flight matchup, but first, they must focus on the FA Cup, where they made it to the quarterfinals for the first time in 20 years last season before losing to eventual winners Manchester City.
Team News
Son, Sarr, and Yves Bissouma, the trio from Tottenham, are currently away on international duty. The former is traveling with South Korea to the Asian Cup, while the latter two are with Senegal and Mali to the Africa Cup of Nations. Due to injuries, Postecoglou will also be without Alejo Veliz (foot), James Maddison, Alfie Whiteman (both ankle), Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic (both knee), and Cristian Romero (hamstring). Nonetheless, Rodrigo Bentancur and Oliver Skipp, who unexpectedly returned six weeks ahead of schedule after recovering from an ankle injury, gave Spurs a lift in the victory over Bournemouth. Both players could play on Friday.
After serving a one-match ban the previous time out, Dejan Kulusevski is free to play again, and players like Fraser Forster, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, and Bryan Gil will all be looking to make an impression on the starting lineup. Regarding Burnley, injuries have sidelined Jordan Beyer (thigh), Jack Cork (calf), Hjalmar Ekdal (both knee), and Lucia Koleosho (both knee). Berge has been suspended since his dismissal last weekend. Josh Cullen’s absence from the Villa match, coupled with Berge’s injury, could result in Aaron Ramsey starting in center midfield alongside Josh Brownhill. Josh Cullen missed the match for undisclosed reasons, and his availability is presently unknown.
Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Burnley
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