Evening Standard

Well, it looks like Spurs and Man City have done away with the 75-minute team news deadline tonight and are reverting back to the 60-minute pre-kick-off confirmation.

Guardiola came up against Amorim in the Champions League last 16 in early 2022, held to a goalless draw in Manchester before Bernardo Silva scored twice in a convincing 5-0 win in Portugal.

When asked if Amorim has what it takes to succeed in the Premier League, Guardiola said: "All I can talk about is the experience of playing twice against Ruben's Sporting Lisbon team, one or two seasons ago, and the pressure was really, really good.

"I spoke with Matheus Nunes, and he was his player, and he speaks highly about him. And look this season, he is unbeaten and winning all the games in the Portuguese League and the Champions League, (they have) the same points as us.

"So a high manager. I have the feeling that Man United, what I hear, that they are thinking about him, it's because he's a good manager. Man United don't appoint managers who aren't at that level so we cannot say they are not able to lead Man United."

Spurs have not won a trophy since the 2008 League Cup but Ange Postecoglou believes performances in the Premier League offer a "better indicator" of their progress than potentially winning a cup.

He insisted that progressing over a 38-game season and winning a trophy were not mutually exclusive aims but says lifting a trophy will not be a "panacea" for Spurs.

"In my mind they go hand in hand but I still think progress in the league is a better indicator [than winning a cup] because then you know you’re putting yourself in a position to win every week and compete in every competition," the Australian said.

"That’s the only thing you can strive for. You can’t guarantee success. No one can. But you can put yourself in a position. If you can put yourself in a position in the league on a consistent basis, I think by extension you should be strong in the knockout comps.

"That’s still where I think our most meaningful progress lies. Winning a comp. Is it a positive? Absolutely. Our supporters will love it. It’s great for the club. Yes you get that winning feeling too. But it’s not a panacea for everything, obviously."

Postecoglou says Man City are the only example of a club being transformed by a coach in less than two years, as he called for time to develop Spurs.

"Show me where things can turn around in 15 months or in two years, any club, apart from maybe City where it took Pep a year, which is like an eternity to be fair for Pep. It doesn't exist," Postecoglou said.

"We're aligned in what we're trying to achieve here and we know it's not going to be easy. That does not mean, though, that this is going to take five years. I'm not saying that, but you can't fast-track experience. You can't fast-track maturity. All these things need time and you've just got to stay true."

We’re still about 40 minutes or so away from team news, but early rumblings are that Pep Guardiola wasn’t joking when he said he would play the kids.

Heavyweight fourth round fixture

Spurs favourites to inflict more misery on Eagles