Soccer: Tottenham will welcome Cup distraction

After the disappointment of a 1-0 defeat to arch-rivals Arsenal at the weekend, Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs have a chance to get back in the saddle when they travel to Coventry City in the EFL on Thursday morning.

Postecoglou was left ruing missed chances once again as his side dropped more points in the Premier League, while also seeing the bragging rights go to the red half of north London once again.

The EFL Cup might well prove to be a welcomed distraction for the Spurs and an opportunity for players to put in a performance that can give their Australian manager some selection headaches ahead of their next Premier League game against Brentford.

. What: Coventry City v Tottenham Hotspur
. Where: Coventry Building Society Arena, Coventry
. When: 05:00 (AEST), Thursday 19th September
. How to watch: beIN SPORTS
. Odds: Coventry City 7.00, Draw 4.33, Tottenham Hotspur 1.45

Concentration key for Postecoglou

With Arsenal scoring the decisive goal thanks to a set-piece and a fine header from defender Gabriel, Postecoglou knows his side can’t afford to switch off for even a second.

The former Celtic boss was pleased with certain aspects of his team’s performance but knows that their mentality must be better, while also making the most of chances when they are presented to them.

"We lost concentration [for the goal]. We've got some big guys in there who really attack the ball and we just switched off for a second,” he said.

"I think I've said my piece. For the most part we controlled the game today, had good territory and possession but we didn't make the most of it and we got punished."

The disappointment of defeat in the first North London Derby, especially on home soil, might well be a motivator for Thursday morning’s clash with Championship side Coventry.

Mark Robins’ side have had a mixed bag of results this season, as they sit on five points after five games in the Championship.

A team expected to be competing for playoff places this term, Coventry will be hoping they can cause Spurs problems this week.

The Sky Blues are 7.00 to cause a major upset, with a draw in the 90 minutes available at 4.33.

Bench players will have an opportunity

The likes of Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Wilson Odobert were all named on the bench for the clash with Arsenal and will be pushing for starts in Coventry.

Gray, Bergvall and Odobert all arrived over the summer transfer window and are settling into life in their new surroundings at Tottenham.

With Spurs’ results not going according to plan at the start of the season, the trio will be eager to prove they are the solution to Postecoglou’s problems.

Tottenham are the 1.45 favourites to get back to winning ways against Coventry, while Spurs to win to nil is available at 2.62 for this one.