Tottenham Hotspur v Middlesbrough Team News
Tottenham Hotspur boss Jose Mourinho has challenged his injury-ravaged side to deliver the goods when they host Middlesbrough on Tuesday in the FA Cup.
Spurs will play host to the Championship outfit after their first meeting ended in a 1-1 draw at the Riverside on January 5.
Boro opened the scoring in the second half at the Riverside Stadium thanks to Ashley Fletcher’s strike, but Mourinho’s blushes were spared by Lucas Moura’s strike. Tottenham played without striker Harry Kane during the first meeting, and the England captain is set to return in April at the earliest.
Kane has gone under the knife to fix the issue, but Mourinho says he still cannot guarantee he will play at the European Championships.
Mourinho will also be without Hugo Lloris, Ben Davies, Moussa Sissoko and Tanguy Ndombele but Mourinho has no new injury worries after last week’s 1-0 defeat to Liverpool.
⚡ @LucasMoura7 levels it up.#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/cOilkxq0G8
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 14, 2020
Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen will be expected to stand up to the plate, and Mourinho says the Dane can still shine, even if he is not playing at his best.
He told BBC Sport: “He plays tomorrow [against Middlesbrough], but if you ask me if I think this is the best Christian Eriksen, I have to be honest and say no.
“I know clearly that a player in his situation… doesn’t perform at the highest level. I can also say he’s helping us.”
Former Tottenham defender Jonathan Woodgate has managed to silence his doubters after helping his team stretch their unbeaten run to six games.
Boro have now started to climb the Championship table as a result, but he does have injury worries of his own to contend with.
Striker Britt Assombalonga and defender Daniel Ayala are out due to ankle problems, but midfielder Adam Clayton is set to start in midfield. Goalkeeper Tomas Mejias could return, while Patrick Roberts is pushing to make his third successive start since joining the club.
