Harry Kane
Harry Kane is one of the stars of the Premier League Getty Images

Tottenham host Leicester City in the third round of the FA Cup on 10 January as Spurs look to end their trophy drought in the top flight. The match-up is the tournament's most exciting game thus far, with league runners-up Leicester keen to get themselves back to winning ways after going three games without scoring a goal in the league.

The two teams will face each other once again two days later, when Spurs host Leicester in the League at White Hart Lane.

Where to watch live

Kick-off is set for 4pm GMT. Live coverage of the game is available on BBC One and BBC One HD.

Overview

Spurs are currently four points behind Leicester in the League and will be looking to gain some momentum before facing each other yet again in less than a week. The north London club have been in brilliant form this season, losing only twice thus far, the lowest in the division and have been heralded as genuine contenders for the title.

Both played out a 1-1 draw the last time they met at the King Power Stadium in August, but form is on Tottenham's side this time, as they have won three of their last four games in the league, while Leicester have lost a bit of shine, approaching the second half of the league. Harry Kane has recaptured his goalscoring form while the likes of Dele Alli and others around him have all raised their game. Mauricio Pochettino is also looking at getting the north Londoners into the Champions League, having failed to do that in the last five years.

Meanwhile, Leicester have been a revelation this season, scoring goals for fun in the league and well deserved their position at the top of the pile coming into Christmas. However, an injury to Jamie Vardy and fatigue creeping into Riyad Mahrez has stunted their attacking flow, leading to two draws and one loss in their last three games during the festive period.

The Foxes huffed and puffed against Bournemouth earlier in the year, but were unable to break them down, with Mahrez missing a penalty to put insult to injury. They were the better side against Manchester City during the course of the 90 minutes, but inability to hit the back of the net cost them crucial points, which may be a deciding factor when the season culminates to a close.

What managers say

Mauricio Pochettino: "It's not a distraction [the FA Cup]. It's the oldest competition in the world and we respect it a lot. We have a strong squad but we have come off a very busy period of Christmas. It's a good opportunity for some players that haven't played regularly in the Premier League to show their quality and fight for their place. It's not about resting players. After Christmas, it's very tough for the players. Some players believe they are fresh but it's not true. We need to be clever in our decisions. We need to analyse and we work hard every day to decide which players are fresh and want to play every game. All the players have a desire to play every game. But it's our decision whether or not to pick them. Harry is in a very good condition. He's fresh, mentally and physically, and we are happy with the way he is."

Claudio Ranieri: "We are doing something nobody could have expected. But if we lose the impetus now I will be furious, desperate. And if someone loses his focus, he will be out of the team. When we started we wanted to build a very good team over two, three, four years. At the moment, maybe we make the steps two at a time rather than one. Sometimes this happens and you can run until the end. But sometimes you make something and have to stay calm for one month and then start again and grow."

Betting odds ( 888Sport)

  • Tottenham win: 1.55
  • Draw: 4.15
  • Leicester City win: 6.55

Team news

Tottenham

Possible XI: Lloris; Walker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, Davies; Dier, Carroll; Son, Alli, Eriksen, Kane.

Leicester City

Possible XI: Schmeichel; Simpson, Morgan, Huth, Fuchs; Mahrez, Drinkwater, Kante, Albrighton; Ulloa, Okazaki.

Tottenham