Tottenham Hotspur vs Morecambe

Tottenham Hotspur entertain League One outfit Morecambe at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium for their FA Cup third-round tie.

Despite suffering an unexpected Europa Conference League elimination, Tottenham Hotspur have undergone quite a renaissance under new manager Antonio Conte. Since replacing Nuno Espirito Santo at the helm, the famous Italian tactician had avoided defeat in all nine domestic fixtures (W6, D3) before falling to a 2-0 away defeat to Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final tie last time out. Additionally, barring a Covid-19 induced forfeit against Rennes in the Europa Conference League, ‘Spurs’ have won six of their remaining seven competitive home games under Conte’s reign (D1), notably scoring 2+ goals on each occasion. Delivering action from the get-go, the Londoners have netted precisely two first-half goals in both previous domestic matches on home turf. What’s more, they have only failed to get past the third round of the FA Cup once in the last 15 campaigns.

On the other hand, Morecambe staged one of the most breathtaking comebacks in English football this season on New Year’s Day, turning a 3-0 HT deficit into a 4-3 victory over fellow League One rivals Doncaster. That triumph brought Morecambe’s dismal four-game winless streak to a halt (D1, L3), during which they failed to get on the scoresheet on three occasions. Curiously, since a 2-2 draw at lower-league outfit Hartlepool in the EFL Trophy back in early October, none of the visitors’ last seven competitive away fixtures have ended level (W2, L5). With 57% of those encounters featuring 4+ overall goals, the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium support could be in for a treat. After conceding 2+ goals in seven of their last nine road trips in all competitions, the ‘Shrimps’ will be desperate to improve at the back.