Timo Werner starts: The predicted Spurs XI to face Coventry City in the EFL Cup | OneFootball

Football League World predicts Spurs' starting 11 to take on Coventry

Tottenham Hotspur will be bitterly disappointed by Sunday afternoon's home defeat in the North London Derby against fierce rivals Arsenal.

But Spurs boss Ange Postecoglou remained in a bullish mood following his side's loss, and indicated that this will be a good season for him, insisting that he 'always' wins trophies in his second season.

One of the available pieces of silverware for Spurs is the EFL Cup, a competition they won in 2008, the last time they lifted a trophy.

Tottenham's EFL Cup campaign gets underway on Wednesday night, as they travel to Championship side Coventry City, who have not won a second tier game since mid-August.

But Mark Robins' side know how to cause upsets in domestic cup competitions, as proven by their improbable run to the FA Cup semi-finals last term, where they lost to eventual champions Manchester United in dramatic circumstances, so it will not be an easy task for Postecoglou and co to defeat the Sky Blues.

Goalkeeper: Fraser Forster

Spurs' usual number one, Gugliemo Vicario, has proven to be a solid presence between the sticks since his arrival from Serie A outfit Empoli in 2023.

But we can expect Vicario to be rested for the EFL Cup clash with the Sky Blues, just as he was during last season's round two tie with Fulham, when he was replaced by Forster.

Forster has been on the bench during three of Spurs' four Premier League games this campaign, and we could see him step up to the starting 11 on Wednesday night.

The Sky Blues faithful will be familiar with Tottenham's summer signing Archie Gray, who lit up the Championship while plying his trade for Leeds United last season.

While Gray was undoubtedly impressive during his first season in senior football last term, there is a gulf in class between the second tier and the Premier League, which is why we haven't seen the 18-year-old handed a start by Postecoglou just yet.

But Wednesday's fixture with familiar opponents offers the Spurs boss the perfect chance to hand Gray the opportunity to play a full 90 minutes for his new club.

After joining Spurs from Serie A side Genoa back in January, centre-back Radu Dragusin, who impressed during the Euros with Romania, has only started five Premier League games for the north London outfit.

An EFL Cup clash against Championship Coventry seems like the ideal scenario for Postecoglou to select a talented player who has not enjoyed as much game time as he would have liked.

Centre-back: Micky van de Ven

After publicly sharing that he 'always wins' trophies in his second season with a football club, Postecoglou will be intent on backing up this claim with Spurs, and the EFL Cup is a competition he should be targeting.

As such, the Spurs boss will want to maintain a strong lineup heading into the Coventry clash, and the selection of regular starter Micky van de Ven could help ensure that his side can retain their usual defensive solidity.

Left-back: Djed Spence

While Tottenham will be keen to progress in the EFL Cup, Postecoglou will also use this test against lower league opposition to take a closer look at players in his squad who do not play week in, week out in the Premier League.

So far this season, Spence has made two top-flight appearances, but both of them have come from the bench, while he could be named in the starting 11 on Wednesday night.

Rodrigo Bentancur is the metronome at the heart of the Spurs midfield, and boasts an illustrious career 2hich includes the three Serie A titles he won with former club Juventus.

It is highly likely that we will see Bentancur in the Spurs starting 11 come Wednesday, while the Sky Blues midfield will find his presence tough to deal with.

Central midfield: Pape Sarr

Similarly to Bentancur, Pape Sarr is key to Tottenham's ability to retain possession, while the fact that he did not start on Sunday could be indicative that he is likely to be named in Postecoglou's 11 on Wednesday.

In fact, since being named in Spurs' starting 11 for a 1-1 draw with Leicester City during the Premier League's opening weekend, Sarr has only appeared as a substitute since, so it will be important for him to earn plenty of minutes against Robins' men.

Lucas Bergvall

Spurs signed 18-year-old Lucas Bergvall from Swedish outfit Djurgarden for a fee of around £8.5m during the summer, and so far he has made three Premier League appearances, but hasn't made a start.

During the recent international break, the youngster appeared for Sweden in Nations League match-ups with both Azerbaijan and Estonia, which showcases his potential.

Postecoglou should be keen to hand Bergvall a starting 11 opportunity in the EFL Cup, while the Spurs faithful will be excited to see the starlet in action.

Right-wing: Brennan Johnson

Brennan Johnson adjusted well to life at Spurs following his move from former club Nottingham Forest during the summer of 2023, and scored five goals as well as creating 10 assists during 32 Premier League outings last term.

During his final top-flight campaign with Forest, he scored eight goals and provided three assists, but he is still yet to find the prolific form he established with the east Midlands outfit in the Championship.

An EFL Cup tie with second tier opposition could prove fruitful for Johnson, who is capable of causing the Sky Blues plenty of problems.

While Germany international Timo Werner performs better for Spurs out wide than as an out-and-out striker, he could be set to be given the nod up front on Wednesday night, as Postecoglou is unlikely to select recently injured new signing Dominic Solanke.

Furthermore, now that Heung-Min Son is 32 years old, Tottenham could look to manage his minutes this campaign more so than in previous seasons.

Should Johnson also be selected, then both Werner and the former Forest man could interchange between the wing and the central role, which could prove tough for the Sky Blues to cope with due to the duo's pace.

Left-wing: Wilson Odobert

Wison Odobert produced a return of three goals and two assists in the Premier League for eventually relegated Burnley last term, a feat Spurs were clearly impressed by as they opted to buy the wideman for £25m.

The 19-year-old is yet to make a goal contribution for his new club in three top-flight outings and two starts, so Wednesday evening's meeting with Coventry could see him get off the mark for Postecoglou's men.