
Tottenham will be hungry for the chance to progress in the Carabao Cup as they welcome Manchester United to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night.
The Lilywhites have been without silverware since 2008 and this competition arguably represents the best chance for them to end their trophy drought.
Standing across from Spurs are rejuvenated United side, under the leadership of Ruben Amorim, will be out for revenge after their 3-0 drubbing last time out against Tottenham.
Tottenham will have to be at the top of their game in this cup clash to have any chance of advancing to the semi-finals.
They have been mired by injuries and defensive issues as of late and will have to dip deep to beat Manchester United.
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Injuries continue to plague Spurs
This is the second injury crisis that Ange Postecoglou has faced in his time at Spurs.
With the second coming in consecutive seasons, he has called a review into his team's medical staff in order to solve the issues that continue to ravage his squad.
Key players such as Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Guglielmo Vicario remain out. These players form a strong part of the defence and any of their absences looks to destabilise the back four.
With Destiny Udogie going off against Southampton over the weekend, Djed Spence may be switched to left-back after his first Tottenham start.
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The importance of Dejan Kulusevski
The Swede has easily been Tottenham's most important player this season. A positional change towards a midfield-orientated role has given him more freedom and time on the ball.
This has worked out superbly for Spurs as he is able to give them a new creative outlook on the match rather than purely relying on James Maddison.
His strike rate has been decent too with three goals in his three games. Postecoglou will be looking to him once to help his side to a victory.
Kulusevski has provided three assists so far in the League Cup: one for Djed Spence's equaliser against Coventry City and both in Tottenham's 2-1 win over Manchester City.
Looking at the Europa League, without his contributions, Spurs would be 22nd in the league phase, which truly shows how important he is to this team.
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Defensive frailties offer opportunities galore for United
The absence of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven have cost Spurs significantly during the time of their injuries.
Tottenham were cut open in a 4-3 loss to Chelsea after both were forced off.
Now a centre-back partnership of Archie Gray and Radu Dragusin looks to be Postecoglou's best option for the foreseeable future.
However, Gray is not a natural centre-back. More suited to a midfield role, this provides United with a golden opportunity to target him and take advantage.
The youngster showed some uncertainty in the Europa League against Rangers and will face a tough test against the visitors again.
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Game management critical for Tottenham
It generally goes without saying but game management is one of the most important factors in being successful in a football match.
Spurs have been guilty of being unable to manage games appropriately as of late, hence the increased use of the term "Spursy".
Particularly against Chelsea, Tottenham looked to be a different side after coming out for the second half as their press dropped off and allowed their opponents more time on the ball.
Postecoglou's system relies fully on Spurs having a high press that continues throughout the game. If this does not happen, then they are exposed brutally all over the pitch.
Whether Tottenham choose to press at a lower tempo for longer lengths of time or continue to use their fast-paced approach remains to be seen.
If this area of the game is performed wrong by Spurs, Manchester United's wingers such as Marcus Rashford or Alejandro Garnacho could have a field day out wide.

