Coventry vs Tottenham LIVE! Carabao Cup match stream, latest score and goal updates today
Spurs are in Carabao Cup third-round action away at Championship opposition tonight, with added pressure on them to advance after all the discussion around Ange Postecoglou’s trophy ambitions this week. The defiant Australian remains confident that he can end Tottenham’s 16-year wait for major silverware in his second season at the helm, while a strong performance would be most welcome after only one Premier League win so far this term and back-to-back defeats by Newcastle and Arsenal.
Yves Bissouma and Richarlison remain sidelined for the visitors, who have surprisingly made eight changes in total for their first meeting with Coventry - opponents in that famous FA Cup final of 1987 - in 11 years as they bid to reach the last 16. Postecoglou will want no repeat of the mistakes of last year, when his side were dumped out of this competition early by Fulham on penalties after similar wholesale alterations.
Coventry - losing play-off finalists from two seasons ago - currently sit around mid-table in the Championship under long-serving boss Mark Robins after winning just one of their first five matches, though they did beat both Bristol City and Oxford to make the third round. They also show seven changes to their starting lineup. Follow Coventry vs Tottenham live below!
Coventry vs Tottenham latest news
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49 mins: Sarr tries to inject some pace into this stodgy Spurs display, but he ends up going down a blind alley and Coventry skipper Eccles does well to win a pressure-relieving free-kick.
47 mins: Spence has indeed gone to left-back for Spurs, with Gray still on the right of the defence.
A curious change from Postecoglou if that’s not fitness-related.
A great run from Solanke before Johnson’s effort is deflected wide.
Back underway.
The likes of James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Heung-min Son remain on the Spurs bench for now.
There is a half-time change coming from Ange Postecoglou.
It’s at full-back, with Djed Spence replacing Destiny Udogie.
Spence to left-back? Is that another injury?
76 per cent possession from Tottenham in that first half.
Zero shots, on or off target.
That just about sums it up.
Standard Sport’s Dan Kilpatrick at the Coventry Building Society Arena
Spurs have had most of the possession but not threatened Coventry's goal at all, and their makeshift defence has been jittery with and without the ball.
Gray and Bergvall look bright but Solanke has barely had a touch and Werner was downright poor.
Wonder how long until Postecoglou calls for the cavalry...
Half-time
Goalless at the break, with much-changed Spurs having plenty of possession but doing absolutely nothing with it.
Rudoni with the best two chances of the half for Coventry, denied early by Forster and later Udogie.
Mark Robins will be pleased with his side’s efforts so far tonight.
45 mins: Just the one minute of added time signalled as another insipid Spurs attack fizzles out.
43 mins: Forster is put under more pressure with the ball at his feet before Thomas-Asante whips in a quick cross from the right that has too much on it for Wright in the middle.
Coventry are by far the better team at the moment.
Tottenham need to wake up, they are giving the ball away so frequently.
42 mins: Werner fails to pull off the one-two down the left with Udogie.
Not a good first half from the German.
Coventry City take on Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup - the Premier League club's first ever visit to the CBS Arena.
The two sides have met five times in the League Cup competition, with Spurs winning three times and the Sky Blues twice so far in the clubs' histories. Coventry, of course, famously beat the north London side in the FA Cup final at Wembley back in 1987.
Both Mark Robins and his opposite number Ange Postecoglou have hinted that while they want to progress to the fourth round, they're both mindful of their progress in the league, with City at home to Swansea on Saturday while Spurs entertain Brentford.
That said, Robins is determined that his Championship players are competitive and not 'passengers' in the televised tie with an estimated crowd of around 25,000 in the stadium. The City boss has been weighing up the fitness of key midfield man Ben Sheaf and lively winger Tatsuhiro Sakamoto after both have recovered from ankle injuries, while Josh Eccles has been nursing a shoulder injury this week.
Stay tuned for all of tonight's team news which will be published at 7pm, an hour before kick-off, while Sky Blues reporter Andy Turner will bring you live updates throughout the match.
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Thomas-Asante breaks into the box and hits a shot that is deflected out for a corner.
Rudoni takes the flag kick but Haji can't get his head to it and Tottenham tidy up.
The away fans have been very quiet tonight but have just piped up with a song.
Spurs have made a change, with Djed Spence replacing Udogie.
It's been a terrific half from the Sky Blues who have had the better chances of the game, with Rudoni testing the keeper twice.
The fourth official has indicated a minimum of a one minute of added time.
Bobby Thomas sends a sensational long ball forward for Bassette to race onto and get ahead of his marker before unleashing a left footed shot that's tipped over by the keeper. The crowd go mad at the ref when he awards a goal kick instead of a corner.
The Sky Blues are looking really good on the attack and giving as good as they are getting in a terrific atmosphere. They are attacking at pace and the movement is excellent.
Haji gives the ball away cheaply and forces Binks to make a tackle on Archie Gray, but the defender is late and he concedes a foul and gets booked into the bargain. Bergvall sends the resulting free-kick wide but Spurs are awarded a corner, which is caught high by Wilson.
Jake Bidwell went in clean and hard on young Wilson Odobert to win the ball and set up an attack. But the Tottenham player required treatment and had to go off injured. The down side to that was the fact that he was replaced by Brennan Johnson!
Norman Bassette looks a real handful and is stopped in his tracks by a cynical foul that goes unpunished as he attempts to turn Bentancur on the halfway line.
He also showed Ben Davies a clean pair of heels down the right flank. So exciting to watch.
The game has kicked off and City pressed aggressively from the start with Bassette bearing down on the keeper and forcing him into a mistake, with Rudoni latching onto the loose ball and hitting a shot and forcing him to make a good save, pushing it out for a corner.
The in-swinger is caught by Forster.
It's a cracking atmosphere at the CBS Arena where the Sky Blue Army are in fine voice, drowning out the Tottenham contingent.
Tottenham have made eight changes to the team that lost 1-0 to Arsenal at the weekend, with the only survivors from that match being Destiny Udogie, Dominic Solanke and Rodrigo Bentancur.
Local lad and Sky Blues Academy graduate James Maddison is among a strong looking ben that includes the likes of Son Heung-Min and Dejan Kulusevski.
Mark Robins has made seven changes to his Coventry City side to face Premier League Tottenham Hotspur in the third round of the Carabao Cup on a night when Ben Sheaf and Tatsuhiro Sakamoto make a welcome return to the matchday squad.
The Sky Blues boss is sticking with Ben Wilson in goal for the competition, with the current understudy having played in the previous two rounds, while Jake Bidwell comes in for Jay Dasilva at left-back and Luis Binks for Liam Kitching at left centre-back. Milan van Ewijk and Bobby Thomas complete the back four.
Josh Eccles takes the captain’s armband in midfield where he is partnered by Jamie Allen, who comes in for the rested Victor Torp, while Jack Rudoni continues in the more advanced number ten slot. Brandon Thomas-Asante starts on the right of the forward three with Haji Wright coming in for Ephron Mason-Clark on the left.
That leaves Norman Bassette to lead the line in place of Ellis Simms, who provides attacking back-up from the bench.
City: Ben Wilson; Milan van Ewijk, Bobby Thomas, Luis Binks, Jake Bidwell; Josh Eccles, Jamie Allen; Brandon Thomas-Asante, Jack Rudoni, Haji Wright; Norman Bassette.
Subs: Brad Collins (GK), Tatsuhiro Sakamoto, Ellis Simms, Liam Kitching, Ephron mason-Clark, Ben Sheaf, Victor Torp, Kai Andrews, Harvey Broad.
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One of Coventry City’s biggest Academy success stories returns to his home town club tonight and manager Mark Robins hopes that he gets a ‘lovely’ reception at the CBS Arena.
That player is, of course, James Maddison – a Cov Kid, born and bred in the area and who first made his name with the Sky Blues before setting off on a top level career that has seen him reach close to 200 Premier League appearances for Leicester City and Tottenham, and earn seven England caps to date.
The 27-year-old attacking midfielder, who graduated from the Sky Blues’ youth set up in 2013, going on to make 42 appearances for City before being sold to Norwich, remains a shining light for the Academy.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE:
Mark Robins has reaffirmed his commitment to Coventry City following the ‘sad’ sacking of his opposite number at Stoke, Steven Schumacher.
The Sky Blues boss has sympathy for the 40-year-old manager who was dismissed by The Potters on Monday, just five games into the Championship season, having lost three and won two of the club’s opening league matches, including victory in their opening game of the campaign against City. Stoke are currently a point and place above Coventry in the division, and the managerial casualty comes as the second in the Championship so far this term, following Ryan Lowe’s departure from Preston North End after the first game.
Asked if it ever ceases to amaze him when managers are sacked so soon into a new season, Robins said: “No. I think it’s always sad when someone loses their job. Steven Schumacher did fantastic things with Plymouth, left to go to what appeared to be a job where he could move on further, and quicker I suppose, but there’s a lot to be said for sticking with what you have got and what you know and have started to build.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE:
Mark Robins insists Wednesday night’s big Carabao Cup clash with Tottenham Hotspur is a “free hit” for Coventry City against one of the most aggressive pressing sides in Europe.
The Sky Blues break off from their league campaign to entertain Spurs at the CBS Arena (8pm kick-off) knowing they will be clear underdogs, but also that there will be a hint of expectation from the Championship side that beat Premier League Wolves and were a ridiculous VAR decision away from knocking out Manchester United in a brilliant FA Cup run last season.
Asked if the players are in good spirits and looking forward to the game, the City manager said: “I think they were after the game on Saturday, having played pretty well and created a load of chances. And had we taken those and taken the win it would have given us a really good platform going into the Tottenham game. But whatever happened on Saturday wouldn’t necessarily prepare you for a Tottenham side who have the most aggressive press in Europe at the minute, with top players in their side.”
READ THE FULL STORY HERE:
Experienced Championship manager Gary Rowett believes Coventry City are now one of the “bigger” clubs in the division and is standing by his tip for a top six finish despite the club’s sluggish start to the new league campaign.
The Sky Blues have just five points from their opening five games but put in a more encouraging performance in their 1-1 draw at Watford at the weekend and have fared better in the Carabao Cup, winning their opening two games to progress to the third round of the competition for the first time in 12 years – the reward being a glamorous tie with Tottenham at the CBS Arena tonight.
READ THE FULL STORY HERE:
It may only be the League Cup, but it feels like Spurs must stop the bleeding on Wednesday.
As an American Tottenham Hotspur supporter, who was not yet married to the club in 2007/08, I have never seen the League Cup as more than a nuisance. Sure, the two finals (and even two semifinals) losses over the past decade were annoying, but in general I would rather focus attention on any random Premier League fixture than a cup tie.
However, Wednesday feels like an important moment for Ange “I always win things in my second year” Postecoglou. This season has not started well — four points through four weeks — and it is not as if last season ended super well either. Though Postecoglou tanked the Second Round tie last year against Fulham, he may have no choice but to give it an honest go against Coventry City on Wednesday if he is going to stand behind his claim.
Date: Wednesday, September 18Time: 3:00 pm ET, 8:00 pm UKLocation: Coventry Building Society Arena, CoventryTV: Paramount+ (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)
Luckily for Postecoglou, Spurs have drawn a Championship side for their first League Cup contest. Coventry has won just one in five in the league, though did beat fellow second-tier mates Bristol City and Oxford United to progress in this competition. Tottenham has fallen to lower sides before, but there is a sizable gap in quality between these opponents.
Since Coventry left the top flight, the clubs have met three times this century in cup competitions, all early on in their respective tournament. Tottenham won all three by a combined 8-0, so hopefully that trend continues, even if it has been 11 years since the teams have shared the pitch.
With all due respect to the hosts, the most interesting part of this match will happen off the pitch. How Postecoglou chooses his lineup will say a ton about how he views this competition, his side’s trajectory, and the form of many of his regulars. His post-match comments Sunday clearly indicate he is still feeling very confident, but actions speak much louder than words.
It is not my goal to predict lineups here, but my personal preference would be to rotate the essentials without playing a complete second XI. Players like the entire back four, Heung-Min Son, and former Coventry youth product James Maddison need the rest, but otherwise select some first-choice attackers and show some desire. Postecoglou’s honeymoon period is on the way out, and dropping this one would do him no favors.
The second-most interesting part of Wednesday evening’s clash also has less to due with Coventry and more how the Spurs attack looks. Regardless of who actually sees the pitch, Tottenham is going to enjoy a ton of possession — if this is true against top teams in the Premier League, it will certainly be the case against inferior sides. Turning that possession into something meaningful, though, remains elusive.
It sounds overly simple, but to me it all comes down to positioning in movement. Spurs are so stale with the ball in the final third, with no one making runs or getting into dangerous areas. It seems like all the best chances come off counters or situations when players are charging down the flanks; once the low block is set up, it is game over. Coventry should provide 90 minutes of practice for this underperforming Tottenham attack, and more struggles midweek will only serve to exacerbate this issue.
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