It isn’t a proper FA Cup third round without at least one David vs. Goliath encounter, and the 2025 draw has thrown up some absolute corkers.
One of them will see Tottenham, eight-time cup winners, travel to non-league Tamworth.
Ange Postecoglou’s job security has taken some serious hits as of late. Despite thrashing defending Premier League champions Manchester City on their own soil, their league form has stuttered before and after to the point where they find themselves in the bottom half of the standings.
The one thing that could keep Postecoglou in the manager’s position is his famous line that he always wins trophies in his second season at a club. With Spurs 1-0 up over EPL leaders Liverpool in the two-legged Carabao Cup semifinal, they have a serious shot at ending their silverware drought. A parallel run in the storied FA Cup would also help, no doubt.
So, can they avoid a result that would be talked about for years to come and seal what is expected to be a routine advancement to the fourth round?
The Sporting News looks at the latest team news and predicted lineups.
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Tamworth vs. Tottenham lineups, predicted starting 11, team news
Nothing suggests Tamworth manager Andy Peaks, who this week signed a contract extension with the club, will not be able to field a first-choice side for the visit of the Premier League giants.
The more pressing concern is the form of that side. A recent strong run, which included their progress to the third-round draw, came screeching to a halt with two straight defeats and zero goals scored across both fixtures.
Nonetheless, the starting XI from their 2-0 defeat at Solihull Moors on New Year’s Eve likely serves as a strong marker for how they’ll kick off the big match.
Tamworth predicted lineup (4-2-3-1, right to left): Singh (GK) —Crompton, Digie, Hollis, Cockerill-Mollett —Tonks, Milnes — McGlinchey, Morrison, Enoru — Wreh
Injured: None
Suspended: None
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Spurs, meanwhile, know several key players remain unavailable in all competitions. They include Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert.
In addition, Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a scary head injury in the Carabao Cup first-leg win over Liverpool, and while it appears the midfielder didn’t suffer too much damage in the end and he posted on social media with the words “all good”, he’ll almost definitely sit out this match.
Fraser Forster could return in goal from an illness, although new signing Antonin Kinsky performed excellently on his debut, and both James Maddison and Pape Matar Sarr will be appealing choices to start as they return from suspensions that kept them out of the Liverpool contest.
Other first-team regulars will probably be given a rest, including Son Heung-min. That being said, Postecoglou will recognise the importance of settling this match as quickly and efficiently as possible, and is likely to balance the amount of changes he makes while also having big hitters available from the bench, just in case.
Tottenham predicted lineup (4-3-2-1, right to left): Kinsky (GK) — Porro, Dragușin, Dorrington, Reguilon — Maddison, Sarr, Bergvall — Johnson, Lankshear, Werner
Injured: Vicario (foot), Udogie, Davies, Romero, Van de Ven, Richarlison (all thigh), Forster (illness), Bentancur (head)
Suspended: None
Tamworth vs. Tottenham live stream, TV channel
Here’s how to watch this FA Cup third-round match across selected areas of the world’s major regions:
| Region | TV | Streaming |
| USA | — | ESPN+, ESPN App |
| Canada | Sportsnet | Sportsnet Now |
| UK | ITV 1, STV Scotland | ITVX, STV Player |
| Australia | — | Optus Sport |
| India | — | — |
