Tottenham Hotspur
Spurs have won seven of their eight matches so far this season (Reuters)

Tottenham Hotspur take on Aston Villa at Villa Park in the third round of the League Cup on Tuesday, with both sides expected to rest some of their key first team players ahead of their big Premier League clashes this weekend.

Where to Follow Live

Kick-off is set for 7.45pm BST. There is no live television coverage of the match in the UK but you can follow the action on BBC Radio 5 Live. Watch the highlights of the game on League Cup Show on BBC One and BBC One HD at 11.05pm on Wednesday.

Overview

Spurs have gotten off to fantastic start this season, with seven wins - and seven cleansheets - from their eight matches in all competitions so far. The north London outfit is also level on points with archrivals Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table. Andre Villas-Boas' men also started their Europa League campaign on a positive note, beating Norwegian side Tromso 3-0 last midweek.

Villa, on the other hand, suffered three successive defeats in the league, after winning their season opener against Arsenal at the Emirates 3-1. However, Paul Lambert's side ended that poor run of from at the weekend, beating the manager's former club Norwich City 1-0. The Villans had seen off competition from third tier side Rotherham United 3-0 last month to reach the third round.

Tottenham will rest majority of their regular starters for this tie as they look to give the players a breather, ahead of the London derby against Chelsea's at Whie Hart Lane this weekend. Meanwhile, Villa will be keeping an eye on the visit of Manchester City.

What Managers Say

Lambert: "Any cup game you get, you want to be at home. But we're up against a top, top side. Andre has some top players but that's what you have to come up against. It will be a great game. I am pretty sure the stadium will be full or not far off it."

Villas-Boas: "How can a game be scheduled after two days, immediately putting careers at risk with injuries? I find it absolutely incredible that we have to risk injuries to our players in a game that they play on that Tuesday. The problem is that it puts the players in a very difficult situation."

Form Guide

Aston Villa

  • Last Five Games: (most recent first): W L W L L
  • Last Match: Norwich City 0 - 1 Aston Villa

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Last Five Games: (most recent first): W W W L W
  • Last Match: Cardiff City 0 - 1 Tottenham Hotspur

Team News

Aston Villa

  • Injured: Benteke (hip), Okore (knee), N'Zogbia (achilles)
  • Doubtful: Agbonlahor (ankle), Westwood (knee)
  • Suspended/Ineligible: N/A

Probable Line-up (4-4-2): Steer; Lowton, Vlaar, Baker, Bennett; Albrighton, Sylla, Delph, Tonev; Helenius, Kozak

Tottenham Hotspur

  • Injured: Capoue (ankle), Lennon (foot), Adebayor (personal reasons)
  • Doubtful: Defoe(groin), Rose (ankle), Chadli (groin), Dembele (knock), Kaboul (groin)
  • Suspended/Ineligible: N/A

Probable Line-up (4-2-3-1): Friedel, Naughton, Kaboul, Chiriches, Fryers; Sandro, Fredericks; Lamela, Holtby, Dawkins; Kane

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