Following two defeats on the spin, Tottenham travel to Deepdale to take on Championship side Preston North End. Both sides are in the midst of suffering from an injury crisis, and with Tottenham having to cope with major defensive issues, Preston will be looking to capitalize and continue their average trend of 2 goals a game.

Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp is likely to name a different line-up from the side that lost to Chelsea at the weekend, and is expected to welcome back defender Michael Dawson, who has been out with injury since April. HR will be hoping that the return of the young defender will soften the blow of having lost both center-backs Ledley King and Sebastien Bassong during the game on Sunday.

Should Redknapp decide not to risk Dawson, then we will most probably see Tom Huddlestone revert to center-back, together with Croatian Vedran Corluka. If this is the case, Preston will fancy their chances to bag a couple of goals against Spurs. Redknapp may also opt to hand a starting-place to Brazilian goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, with Carlo Cudicini having shows erroneous tendencies as Spurs number 1.

Generally, this match provides us with a good opportunity to throw-in some of our fringe players, give some first-teamers a rest, and see what some of the other players have to offer. One such player who I hope will be picked tonight is Tottenham's little Mexican Giovani dos Santos. After a relatively poor showing at the club at the end of last season (filled with personal issues apparently), the player has recently been in scintillating form for his national team, and this has clearly given HR something to think about.

We should also see David Bentley getting a game. He has had a torrid time at WHL, and this hasn’t been helped by Aaron Lennon's form providing Bentley with no real opportunity to show what he can do. However, Roman Pavlyuchenko won't be making an appearance as he has a slight tear in his Achilles, but according to the gaffer, he will be available for selection at the weekend.

The Premier League remains Tottenham's preferred route into European competition next season, but following defeats to two of the EPL's "big four", and in light of Spurs having made it through to the Carling Cup final in successive years, they definitely shouldn't rule out the "safety option" that the League Cup can provide.

Here are some random but yet interesting facts courtesy of my aimless browsing on the web:

• The clubs have met 67 times, with Preston having won 21 times, Tottenham on 29 occasions, and with 17 of the meetings ending in a draw.
• Apparently, Preston need to score two times in order to reach 100 goals against Spurs in competitive matches.
• However, Tottenham have failed to get past the fourth round only once in six years.
• Tottenham, who have won the competition a total of four-times and have finished as runner-up three-times, have lost only one of their last 13 League Cup matches, which was last season's final against Manchester United.

I have predicted a 4-2 win for Spurs – I see plenty of goals, down to a leaky Spurs defense combined with Spurs players wanting to show what they are capable of. Any challenges?!

The game kicks-off at 19.45 p.m. UK time…

COME ON YOU SPURS!