Antonio Conte has made six changes to the Tottenham team he believes can overcome Sheffield United in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday evening.
Spurs beat Portsmouth and Preston North End in earlier rounds and now a tricky away tie at Bramall Lane is up next as they look to progress through to the quarter-finals with many of the Premier League teams now out of the competition. The Blades are currently flying high in the Championship in second place in the table with a seven-point lead over third-placed Middlesbrough having played one game less.
Tottenham exited the competition in the same round 12 months ago, with Middlesbrough progressing after extra-time at the Riverside Stadium. Looking to avoid another shock exit, Antonio Conte and his assistant head coach Cristian Stellini had some big decisions to make with their team ahead of a big couple of weeks for the club.
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Conte has to balance the need to rotate to keep some players fresh and others getting much-needed minutes with the fear of underestimating Sheffield United in the FA Cup, as Spurs did at the Riverside last season.
In defence, Davinson Sanchez comes in alongside Eric Dier and Ben Davies, with Cristian Romero getting a rest on the bench.
Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic add fresh legs on the flanks at wing-back while Emerson Royal has a small knock to his knee but is expected to be fit to face Wolves on Saturday.
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg pairs up alongside Pape Matar Sarr for some experience in the centre of the pitch.
Up front, Son Heung-min and Richarlison play alongside Lucas Moura, making his first start since November, while Harry Kane takes a spot on the bench alongside Arnaut Danjuma and Dejan Kulusevski.
Here is the team Conte and Stellini have chosen:
Forster; Sanchez, Dier, Davies; Porro, Sarr, Hojbjerg, Perisic; Lucas, Richarlison, Son. Subs: Austin, Romero, Lenglet, Tanganga, Skipp, Devine, Kulusevski, Danjuma, Kane.
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