When Tottenham drew League One strugglers Rochdale in the FA Cup fifth round, massacre was expected.

Spurs, a seasoned Premier League club and enjoying a fine run of form across all competitions, on paper, should have made easy work of Rochdale.

Spurs are third in the countries elite competition, only behind Manchester City and Liverpool and only recently thrashed Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

However, when they faced England’s lowest-ranked third-tier team, that counted for nothing.

This is the FA Cup and Rochdale earned a 2-2 draw.

Tottenham seemed to be heading to the quarterfinals after Harry Kane’s late penalty but fellow substitute Davies fired home to share the spoils at Spotland.

Rochdale began with intent, rewarded by Ian Henderson on the stroke of halftime.

Spurs, who also needed a replay to get past fourth-tier Newport in the previous round, dominated the second half.

On the hour mark, that dominance paid off with Lucas Moura restoring parity.

Kane and Davies added one apiece as Rochdale will now look forward to a money-spinning replay at Wembley.

Swansea City or Sheffield Wednesday awaits the winners in the quarter-finals.

Tottenham need to take this competition seriously as the club attempts to end a seriously long trophy drought.

Whilst Pochettino is keen to win the Premier League, an FA Cup is certainly a more realistic achievement at this stage for the club.

With the likes of Harry Kane attracting transfer interest from Europe’s best clubs, winning trophies of any kind will surely go some way to helping the club retain this calibre of player.

It feels like the club are at a crucial stage of their development and now is the time to win a trophy. Hopefully Spurs can get the job done comfortably in the replay and go on to win the whole competition.

It was a memorable evening in London when Tottenham Hotspur welcomed Borussia Dortmund to Wembley in the Champions League.

 Spurs produced an unforgettable display, cruising to an emphatic 3-0 victory on Wednesday in the last-16 first leg.

An unbelievable finish from Heung-Min Son, coupled with a rare moment of magic from Jan Vertognhen set Mauricio Pochettino’s men on their way.

Just when the Spurs faithful thought they had enough, Fernando Llorente stepped off the bench to bury Christian Eriksen’s corner with five minutes left.

Former Manchester City prodigy Jadon Sancho showed his brilliance but it wasn’t enough as Spurs made a huge step closer to the quarter-finals.

Spurs managed the result even without star duo Harry Kane and Dele Alli, the pair still absent due to injury.

The surprise, though, was Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to start Son up front instead of Llorente.

It ultimately proved a masterstroke as the South Korean troubled the Germans with his pace and movement.

Christian Pulisic thought he had given Dortmund the lead after 15 minutes only to be stopped by Hugo Lloris.

The Frenchman was called into action again when Axel Witsel tried his luck from just outside the box. He was equal to the task again.

As if that wasn’t enough, Lloris then produced another unbelievable save to keep out Dan-Axel Zagadou’s deflected header on the brink of half-time.

The hosts began the second half on a front foot and expectedly it was Son Heung-min who put them in front.

Vertonghen’s incredible cross from the left dropped perfectly for the Korean who cushioned the ball beyond Roman Burki and into the Dortmund net in the 47th minute.

Soon after, it was the Belgian’s turn, storming onto Serge Aurier’s pinpoint cross to smash a beautiful volley home.

At this point, Spurs were in absolute control, dictating the game’s pace and tempo.

Llorente had other plans, though, registering his name on the scoresheet with an excellent nod to give Lucien Favre’s men an uphill task in Germany.

What an incredible night for the team and all the fans – can Spurs go all the way in the Champions League?

This season it feels like there is no clear favourite to win the competition and Pochettino will be desperate to add a major trophy to his CV.

In terms of major trophies, they don’t get much bigger than the Champions League, but the club will face much sterner tests before having the chance to lift the trophy.

Spurs travel to Goodison Park looking to avoid a run of three straight games without a win in the Premier League. After an uninspiring performance against Burnley, the players will not only be fighting for the three points, but a place in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting line-up against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.

Victor Wanyama was injured in the warm-up against Burnley and will have to sit out of this one as a result. Danny Rose, Erik Lamela and Georges-Kevin N’Koudou are all ruled out as they recover from long-term injuries. Here is your Spurs predicted line-up to face Everton.

GK: Hugo Lloris

I think Mauricio Pochettino will make a few changes in this one to shake the team up a bit, but Lloris will surely keep his place.

CB: Davinson Sanchez

It was far from the perfect debut at Wembley for Sanchez. I felt a little bit of sympathy for him as he came onto the pitch just seconds after Burnley equalised at the death. He should get a proper chance here to show us what he can do.

CB: Toby Alderweireld

The arrival of Sanchez should not split or break the strong partnership of Alderweireld and Vertonghen, it should compliment it. I expect the Belgian duo to keep their places in this one.

CB: Jan Vertonghen

Wayne Rooney could still start a week after being charged with drink driving and he will have to be on the minds’ of the back three. The former England international has made a good start to the season and the primary goal will be for them to stop him hitting the back of the net.

RWB: Serge Aurier

I back Aurier to make his debut here. Securing a deadline day move, the Frenchman has had a few days to settle in after the international break and could make his first start at Goodison Park.

LWB: Ben Davies

Davies has looked a little more adventurous going forward this season and created a good chance down the left for Harry Kane against Burnley. With a three at the back system, he will have more license to get forward and create some more chances.

Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham welcome Antonio Conte’s Chelsea to Wembley for the first home game of the new season in a match of significant importance so early in the campaign.

Pundits and fans alike have cast many doubts over Tottenham’s chances of Premier League success this season and many have stated the coming season will be a struggle due to playing at Wembley. This shouldn’t be an excuse for any shortcomings this season, but Spurs’ record at the National Stadium speaks for itself. Spurs won just once in five visits to Wembley last season including an embarrassing aggregate loss to Gent in the Europa League, so you can see why fans are not brimming with confidence.

So, the visit of the Premier League champions brings with it the perfect opportunity to silence early season critics and doubters. Revenge will be on the minds of the Spurs players following last season’s 4-2 FA Cup semi-final defeat where the introduction of Diego Costa and Eden Hazard won the game for the Blues.

Two players Spurs will not have to face on Sunday are Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic, who have caused the Lilywhites problems in the past. Costa’s future seems uncertain at this moment in time, but it appears he will not be playing anymore football at Stamford Bridge. The decision to sell Matic has puzzled many and is clearly a decision that does not sit well with Antonio Conte.

The loss of two key players has not been easy for Chelsea as they fell to a shock 3-2 defeat to Burnley, who one just once away from Turf Moor last season. Alvaro Morata getting on the scoresheet is one of the few positives Chelsea fans can take from the opening day loss, but Morata missing a sitter, denying another goal and ill-discipline will be on the minds of many going into this Sunday’s trip to Wembley.

By contrast, Spurs got their campaign off to a winning start to Newcastle, running out 2-0 winners over Newcastle, Dele Alli and Ben Davies getting on the scoresheet. Until the sending off of Jonjo Shelvey just four minutes into the second half, Spurs failed to create many chances and didn’t really look like taking all three points. This is something that surely will be on Mauricio Pochettino’s mind ahead of Sunday.

Both seeing red on Saturday, Chelsea will be missing key creator Cesc Fabregas and captain Gary Cahill, which could prove big misses for the Blues. Spurs on the other hand will be without Danny Rose and Erik Lamela whilst Georges-Kevin N’Koudou and Kieran Trippier are also unlikely to make the matchday squad which could mean another chance to impress for young Kyle Walker-Peters.

What do you see as the outcome for this one? Take a look at the best bookies & offerings on this one. I think Tottenham are good value for the win. Moreover, I think we are going to be in for an entertaining match on Sunday. Antonio Conte will be demanding a big response from his players after Saturday’s defeat while Mauricio Pochettino’s side will be keen to banish those Wembley woes. I would not be surprised if this one ended in a draw.

Spurs got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start with a 2-0 victory over Newcastle at St. James’ Park on Sunday afternoon. Goals from Dele Alli and Ben Davies were enough to see off the Magpies.

The first forty-five minutes were an uneventful affair with few chances for either side. Newcastle started the better but Spurs grew into the game, Christian Eriksen trying his luck from distance a couple of times but with little success.

The game changed early on in the second half when Andre Marriner sent off Newcastle captain Jonjo Shelvey for a stamp on Dele Alli. A stupid act right under the nose of the referee that saw him rightly sent for an early bath.

Spurs immediately looked to capitalise on their one man advantage and cashed in just after the hour mark. Christian Erisken floated a lovely ball over the top to Dele Alli, who made no mistake with a volleyed finish into the back of the net past Rob Elliot.

Just ten minutes later it was 2-0. A little bit of fortune involved perhaps, but Ben Davies reacted quickly to slide the ball past Elliot and to double Tottenham’s advantage, which they were able to hold onto right up until the final whistle.

Mauricio Pochettino faced a tough team selection at the start of the game. He appeared to be torn between playing a back three with Moussa Sissoko at wing-back or a back four with Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back. Both played in a 4-2-3-1 system and the youngster Walker-Peters impressed on his debut.

The full-back showed little signs of nerves, looked to pose a threat going forward and effectively dealt with the pace of Christian Atsu which even some of the best full-backs struggle to do when he is on the top of his game. His final ball could have been better and it is fair to say he doesn’t quite have the same pace as Kyle Walker or Kieran Trippier. His performance led to one Spurs fan claiming that there is now no need to sign a right-back this summer. Here is how Spurs fans reacted on Twitter.

Walker-Peters has been excellent, best player on the park. Who said he wasn’t ready? Spurs in control, but lack of pace is v obvious #COYS

— Ben Harris (@thisisbenharris) 13 August 2017

Getting in early here, round of applause for Poch over Kyle Walker Peters, hasn’t put a foot wrong today & looked so composed. #COYS#THFC

— Ricky Sacks 🎙 (@RickSpur) 13 August 2017

Walker-Peters deserves MoM, for his defensive display against a very tricky confident winger like Atsu

— arunSpurs (@arunspurs) 13 August 2017

Walker-Peters was outstanding. Saw some of the best bits of Walker & Trippier in there, looking forward to watching him develop over time 👍🏻

— Boggo (@Boggo1) 13 August 2017

Very encouraging start to the season and brilliant to see Walker-Peters perform so well on his debut. 👏 #COYS #newtot

— Joe Alexander (@JoeAlexander1) 13 August 2017

In all seriousness though, no need to source a right back.

Kyle Walker-Peters with an incredibly composed performance#NEWTOT #COYS

— Dan Tracey (@dantracey1983) 13 August 2017

Once fit, Kieran Trippier I am sure will stay the first choice right-back, but Kyle Walker-Peters may have just eliminated the need to buy a new right-back with the performance that earned him the Man of the Match award.

It’s finally here. Spurs make the trip up North to face Newcastle on Sunday afternoon in their season opener looking to make a strong start to season where Liverpool and Chelsea have already slipped up. 

Heung-min Son could be fit but might only make the bench whilst Erik Lamela, Georges-Kevin N’Koudou, Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier all miss out through injury. Here is your Spurs predicted line-up to face Newcastle.

GK: Hugo Lloris

Was the first choice keeper at the end of last season, and I expect that nothing has changed over the summer.

CB: Eric Dier

I’m going to say that Mauricio Pochettino will deploy a back three against Newcastle and I expect the versatility of Eric Dier to be used once again to play on the right of a back three.

CB: Toby Alderweireld

Still no progress on a new contract for Alderweireld, but there has been little speculation regarding a move away which can only be a positive. I expect him to make the starting line-up here.

CB: Jan Vertonghen

Vertonghen and Alderweireld formed a strong partnership at the heart of the Spurs defence last season and managed to maintain the best defensive record in the league. The Belgian duo will be key to any defensive success that Spurs have this coming season.

RWB: Moussa Sissoko

A few weeks ago, Sissoko might not have been in Pochettino’s plans to play at his old club. However, a solid performance against Juventus combined with the injury of Kieran Trippier might just hand Sissoko a much needed chance to impress early on this season and start to prove he was worth the £30m paid last summer.

LWB: Ben Davies

With Danny Rose injured and possibly on the naughty step, it is more or less guaranteed that Davies will be starting here unless Pochettino decides to play Heung-min Son at left wing-back which I suggest he doesn’t after the disaster in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea.

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A weakened team was fielded by Mauricio Pochettino against a weakened team fielded by Jurgen Klopp, but it was Liverpool who came out on top to progress into the quarter-finals of the EFL Cup.

Daniel Sturridge fired Liverpool into the lead just nine minutes in, and doubled their advantage midway through the second half. Vincent Janssen pulled a goal back from the spot to set up a nervy last fifteen minutes, but Liverpool held onto their lead to dump Spurs out of the cup. Here are the Spurs player ratings.

Michel Vorm- 7

Our second goalkeeper made some good saves throughout the ninety minutes. Was a little unfortunate, appearing to slip prior to the first goal, but it could have been so many more.

Kieran Trippier- 5

Not a great night for Trippier. He struggled to have a real impact going forward down the right-hand side. Made a few unnecessary errors too.

Cameron Carter-Vickers- 5

A tough night for the defence against a skillful and pacy Liverpool attack, and in truth they were lucky not to concede more than two. The American should consider himself lucky perhaps not to give away a penalty on Sturridge.

Kevin Wimmer- 5

Tried to play the offside trap against Sturridge for the second goal, and got that horribly wrong. A tough night, but not the way to try and get yourself back into Pochettino’s plans.

Ben Davies- 6

Showed a little more intent going forward than Trippier did and threatened to put a few good balls into the box, but unfortunately, nobody was there to get onto the end of them.

Harry Winks- 6

Made a few too many errors in the middle of the park, so that is something for the youngster to work on, but looked comfortable on the ball and should have done better with his shot right at the end in stoppage time.

Eric Dier- 6

As the captain, I would have like to have seen a little bit more of Dier in the midfield. However, he did his job and put in a few strong tackles before being replaced by Victor Wanyama midway through the second half.

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Spurs return from the international break just one point off the top of the table and in great form as they prepare to visit West Brom in the hopes of another three points and remaining the Premier League’s only unbeaten side.

Harry Kane remains out, but could return as early at 6th November for the North London derby with his recovery going well. Mauricio Pochettino will make a late call on the fitness of Mousa Dembele.

GK: Hugo Lloris

The Frenchman has played well in recent weeks, and I see no reason why he shouldn’t start in between the sticks again to face West Brom.

RB: Kyle Walker

Walker has been in my opinion one of the most improved players over the summer, and provides a huge threat going forward as well as doing his defensive work well. He should start here.

CB: Toby Alderweireld

The big Belgian has been one of our best players this season, and has played a huge part in maintaing our unbeaten record and it is important that his partnership with Vertonghen stays strong.

CB: Jan Vertonghen

We have only conceded three goals in the Premier League this season, and the centre-back partnership has been one of the main reasons why we hold the best defensive record in the league. I expect both Vertonghen and Alderweireld to start here.

LB: Danny Rose

Rose returned from injury against Manchester City and I thought that he had a great game and kept Raheem Sterling quiet for the most part, which isn’t as easy as you think after the way he played against Celtic just days before. Rose should keep his place.

CDM: Victor Wanyama

Wanyama played as the only defensive midfielder against Manchester City, and did an excellent job working very hard, making some strong tackles and bossing that midfield. Off the back of that performance, I think that Pochettino will stick with a 4-1-4-1 with Wanyama as a sole defensive midfielder in this match.

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Spurs produced one of the performances of the season to beat league leaders Manchester City, and inflict the first loss of the Pep Guardiola era the table-toppers. 

Pochettino’s side pressed from the front, allowing City next to no time on the ball, and was a big reason why Spurs were able to grab the three points. Spurs move up the second following the 2-0 win and are just one point off the top spot going into the international break. Here are the Spurs player ratings.

Hugo Lloris- 7

Made a couple of excellent saves to keep a clean sheet. Maybe a little lucky with the shot that hit the post, and distribution wasn’t as good as expected, but still a solid game for the Frenchman.

Kyle Walker- 7

Looked a real threat when going forward down the right-hand side, and did his defensive work well, another great game from the England international.

Toby Alderweireld- 7

Another excellent display at the back from the Belgian, making some really important tackles. A clean sheet against City is a real achievement and our superb defensive record continues.

Jan Vertonghen- 7

Looked really solid at the back, there were a couple of times where City got in behind, but you come to expect that from a side that had averaged three goals per game. A great defensive display.

Danny Rose- 7

Got embroiled in a heated battle with Raheem Sterling down the left that threatened to turn sour a few times, but he kept the winger quiet for the majority of the game, Sterling looking nowhere as much of a threat as he did against Celtic in the Champions League.

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It’s a clash of the top two as Tottenham collide with table-toppers Manchester City in a mouth-watering clash at White Hart Lane this Sunday. Both managers have been full of praise for each other in a build-up to what should be an exciting fast-paced matchup. 

Spurs won their first Champions League match of the campaign against CSKA Moscow in midweek, whilst Manchester City played out a 3-3 draw with Celtic in a thriller.

Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele, Danny Rose and Moussa Sissoko are all players that Mauricio Pochettino will be making late calls on regarding fitness while Harry Kane remains out. Here is the Spurs predicted line-up.

GK: Hugo Lloris

Lloris has conceded just two goals this season in the games he has played, and has looked a confident man. He should start here.

RB: Kyle Walker

Was replaced by Kieran Trippier in midweek in the Champions League, and Trippier played well getting down the right, but I expect Kyle to make his return here.

CB: Toby Alderweireld

Played very well again in midweek, keeping a clean sheet, and I would think that Mauricio Pochettino will keep the centre-back partnership of Alderweireld and Vertonghen.

CB: Jan Vertonghen

Also played well in Moscow, and did very well in keeping a clean sheet and Lacina Traore quiet, which looked like a tall order at the start of the evening. Should keep his place in the team for this match.

LB: Ben Davies

It might be best not to risk Danny Rose with his hamstring injury for this weekend, and Davies has been played solidly anyway, so there would be no reason to replace him unnecessarily.