Losing 1-0 at MK Dons on Saturday afternoon was not the ideal preparation for Sheffield United's trip to White Hart Lane on Wednesday night, but Nigel Clough's men have made a habit recently of stepping up their game in cup ties.

In reaching the semi-finals, the Blades have beaten West Ham United on penalties at Upton Park, before they saw off Southampton in the last eight.

For good measure, earlier this month they defeated Queens Park Rangers 3-0 in the third round of the FA Cup at Loftus Road, while in last season's competition, they overcame Aston Villa, Fulham, Nottingham Forest and Charlton Athletic - all sides above them in the pyramid - en route to the semis.

In hosting Tottenham, though, United face a side in good form, with the Premier League outfit having lost just one of their last 10 games in all competitions.

With Spurs also competing in the FA Cup and Europa League, which restarts next month, head coach Mauricio Pochettino could be tempted into rotating his team, which may mean starts for the likes of Eric Dier, Ben Davies and Benjamin Stambouli.

As for Clough, with a relatively small squad to select from, it's unlikely that he will make many alterations for this first-leg encounter.

Craig Alcock recently returned to action following an injury layoff and he could keep his place for the clash in North London.

When these two sides last met at the Lane back in August 2006, early goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Jermaine Jenas secured a routine 2-0 victory for the home side.

Spurs:

Form in League Cup: WDLWWW
Form in all competitions: DWDLWW

Possible starting lineup: Lloris; Walker, Dier, Vertonghen, Davies; Stambouli, Dembele; Townsend, Eriksen, Chadli; Kane

Sheff Utd:

Form in League Cup: LWDWWW
Form in all competitions: WDLWWL

Possible starting lineup: Howard; Harris, McEveley, Kennedy, Alcock; Reed, Doyle; Muprhy, Baxter, Campbell-Ryce; McNulty

Sports Mole says: 2-0

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