*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
Tottenham (-1)
Brentford have done well to build on last season despite losing two of their best players in the summer transfer window, but this could be a bridge too far for the Bees.
Last season’s play-off runners up have gotten over the heartache of losing out to West Brom on the final day of the season in the race for automatic promotion and the pain of losing to Fulham at Wembley to reach a League Cup semi-final and launch yet another bid for promotion. They are currently two points off the automatic places in the Championship with a game in hand and have every chance of going one better than last season. They are unbeaten in their last 12 games in all competitions in a run that stretches back to October, but it should come to an end on Tuesday night.
Tottenham haven’t exactly been pitch-perfect in recent weeks, but they still possess more than enough quality to comfortably dispose of their Championship opponents. Jose Mourinho’s side had failed to win four league games on the bounce prior to their comfortable win over Leeds, but they were ruthlessly efficient against the plucky newcomers on Saturday.
Mourinho’s side only had 36 per cent of the ball in that 3-0 win and he will probably employ similar tactics on Tuesday, sitting deep and punishing Brentford on the counter-attack. It should be a routine win for Spurs with a cup final beckoning.
Son Heung-Min to score anytime
Mourinho has rested Son in the earlier rounds of the competition but could very well turn to him at the all-important semi-final stage.
Mourinho usually turns to Gareth Bale in cup competitions, but his injury means that there are less options available on the wings and Son could be shoehorned into a League Cup starting line-up for the first time this season.
With a trip to non-league side Marine coming up in the FA Cup at the weekend, Spurs can afford to play their best team against Brentford without worrying about fatigue too much. That means that Son should get the nod and he can do a lot of damage against lower-league opposition.
The South Korean has scored 12 goals from just 21 shots in the league this season and boasts a staggering goal conversion rate of 57 per cent, while 81 per cent of his shots have been on target.
He has been ruthlessly clinical and can put Brentford to the sword to help secure Spurs’ first final appearance since the 2019 Champions League final.
Both teams to score? No
Brentford have the second-best goalscoring record in the Championship, but they will struggle to break Spurs down.
Mourinho will attempt to mirror Spurs’ performance in comfortable home wins over Arsenal and Leeds where his side surrendered possession and territory for large parts of the game but eased to victory thanks to devastating counter attacks.
As good as they have been, Brentford simply don’t have the quality to break Spurs down and could very easily draw a blank on Tuesday night.
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widget, while in-copy odds are accurate at time of publication but subject to change
Tottenham v Brentford bet summary – Tuesday, January 5
Tottenham (-1)
Son Heung-Min to score anytime
Both teams to score? No
Combine these picks in a Bet Builder treble for odds of approximately 9/2
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