The Daly Brief | Spurs vs Doncaster Rovers, Carabao Cup | OneFootball

"Doncaster Rovers have impressed back in League One this season, while a win at Championship side Middlesbrough has helped set up this third round tie at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium..."

Rob Daly, official club commentator, presenter and pundit

Donny's bright start...

Grant McCann guided Doncaster Rovers to the League Two title in 24/25 and began this campaign with an impressive eight wins from 10 in all competitions. However, they’ve just suffered back-to-back defeats, and the manager wasn’t happy after his side threw away a 1-0 lead to lose to Wimbledon on Saturday. “I think back to the game at Wigan last week (0-3) and then again in this one - the errors we’ve made for the goals are just not what we’ve been about for the last 18 months.” Playing out from the back undid them against Wimbledon for the winner, while they’ve conceded three times from crosses in their last two games - perhaps something Spurs can exploit with the improved set-piece expertise.

Rovers' run and rotation...

Despite those losses, Doncaster won 4-0 at Championship leaders Middlesbrough back in August, a huge upset, even after rotating their entire XI. Damola Ajayi, on loan from Spurs, scored in that game - while the winger started in the second round at Accrington too as one of 10 changes in a 2-0 win. Whether something similar happens tonight remains to be seen - there’s no doubt the club’s top players will want the chance to play at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Who to watch out for...

39-year-old striker Billy Sharp scored 12 times last season to earn his sixth career promotion, and a recent strike against Bradford shows he’s still got it - using his strength to brush off a defender before feeding the ball into the corner. Luke Molyneux normally features on the right wing in their 4-2-3-1 formation. Having claimed 31 goal involvements in 24/25, he’s proved himself to be an extremely composed finisher when allowed to cut in on his left foot. Defensive midfielder Owen Bailey is a physical presence - as it so proved when he powered through a crowd of bodies to score from a corner on Saturday. That diving header was his sixth goal of the season already, having grabbed five across the whole of 24/25.

Spurs rotation...

During a busy month, this tie likely presents a chance for more thorough rotation from Thomas Frank, who told the media in Tuesday's pre-match press conference that goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky will make his first start of the campaign. However, Ben Davies and Randal Kolo Muani miss out with the knocks that ruled them out of Saturday's draw at Brighton. Kevin Danso played most of his minutes this season (102) during an excellent Super Cup performance, while Archie Gray (90), weekend starter Wilson Odobert (141) and forward Mathys Tel (109), ineligible in the Champions League, could all get the nod.

Number 7 in the 10 role...

As a second half substitute on Saturday, Xavi Simons lit up the game for Spurs playing centrally for the first time, working three attempts on goal in a 29-minute cameo. His drive to play a purposeful one-two with Richarlison, to nearly win a penalty, showed his quality against a compact defence too. "Xavi came in and did exactly what we thought he could do in that 10 position,” said Frank after, although he was keen to stress his versatility too. “I think he can easily play the left winger, that can go more inside... sometimes the playmakers, they drift to the side because there's no space in the middle."