Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur; The FA Cup Quarter-Final
Swansea City vs Tottenham Hotspur. The FA Cup Quarter-Final.
Swansea.com StadiumAttendance17,498.
Swansea v Tottenham preview: Dele Alli and Danny Rose face late fitness tests
Swansea' Jordan Ayew misses tie due to suspension
Saturday 17 March 2018 11:19, UK
Dele Alli and Danny Rose will face late fitness tests ahead of Tottenham's FA Cup quarter-final at Swansea on Saturday (kick-off 12.15pm).
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has said he understands frustrations with the club's lack of silverware, which he thinks boil down to a feeling Spurs "deserve trophies we do not achieve".
Spurs are without a title of any kind since they won the League Cup in 2008, although Pochettino has taken them to a runners-up finish in the Premier League.
But having reached the last four of the FA Cup last season, Spurs are now only three games from winning the trophy for the first time since 1991.
Pochettino said: "The people are saying that because they are frustrated because Tottenham in the last few years have shown unbelievable quality, play good football and everyone enjoys it every time they watch the team play.
"Sometimes they feel sad for us, not only our fans, but fans from other teams - not Arsenal fans.
"People that understand football very well know that this project is a project that is very exciting because we are not a club that are going to buy trophies, we are a club that is going to deserve trophies."
Swansea manager Carlos Carvalhal is hoping to cast aside old memories of playing Spurs when the two sides meet at the Liberty Stadium.
The Swans are in the last eight of the competition in more than 50 years, and have been in superb form under Carvalhal since he took over from Paul Clement in December.
That achievement will illicit some memories for the club's fans, but so will another old meeting with the north London club for Carvalhal - back when he was 18, in a UEFA Cup tie in 1984.
He said: "Tottenham had beaten us 3-0 in Braga and at White Hart Lane my manager, Quinito, played me. Playing in that Spurs team was Glenn Hoddle and they had won the UEFA Cup the previous year.
"We lost 6-0 and after the game, the manager got on the bus and everybody was crouching down behind their seat and trying to hide."
Team news
Jordan Ayew misses Swansea's first FA Cup quarter-final for 54 years at home to Tottenham through suspension. Ayew, Swansea's 10-goal top scorer, starts a three-game ban after being sent off at Huddersfield last weekend.
Tammy Abraham is set to lead the attack with Andre Ayew cup-tied, while loan midfielder Andy King is also ineligible.
Harry Kane will miss the game having suffered ankle ligament damage during last weekend's 4-1 win at Bournemouth. Dele Alli and Danny Rose will face late fitness tests.
Opta stats
- This is the first ever FA Cup meeting between these sides - they have met 45 times previously (40 league games, five League Cup matches).
- Spurs are unbeaten in their last 15 games against the Swans in all competitions (W12 D3), drawing at Wembley and winning 2-0 at Liberty Stadium in the Premier League this season.
- This is Swansea's first appearance in the FA Cup quarter-finals since 1964 (when they were known as Swansea Town) - they reached the semi-final that year, eliminating Liverpool in the quarter-final.
- Tammy Abraham has been involved in five goals in his last two FA Cup appearances at Liberty Stadium (2 goals, 3 assists).
Merson's prediction
I don't see how Swansea win this game. They have bigger fish to fry with their survival bid so I expect them to make changes, something that will play into Spurs' hands. Swansea's priority is staying in the Premier League.
PAUL PREDICTS: 0-2 (5/1 with Sky Bet)