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2025-09-24 - Tottenham Hotspur vs Doncaster Rovers
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: English League Cup Third Round
Wednesday 24th September 2025 - Kick Off 7:45pm
This game is live on TV
Tottenham Hotspur
The last domestic trophy won by Tottenham Hotspur was the League Cup, although the seventeen year wait for silverware was ended in Europe at the end of last season. Thomas Frank will be keen to add to the Europa League won under Ange Postecoglou and the manager has taken this competition seriously when in charge of Brentford previously.
Of course his Brentford team did not have European commitments to deal with alongside the domestic action, but that is the case for Tottenham Hotspur who are playing in the Champions League this season. In three of the last five seasons, Tottenham Hotspur have made it through to the League Cup Semi Final and they do have a very good chance to reach the Fourth Round on Wednesday.
Tottenham Hotspur fought back from 2-0 down to earn a 2-2 draw at Brighton on Saturday and they are unbeaten in 3 games in all competitions since the disappointing 0-1 home loss to Bournemouth. They have since beaten Villarreal in their North London home in the Champions League.
Dominic Solanke is still edging his way back into contention for Tottenham Hotspur, but this fixture may have come too soon for the England international. The manager is expected to make wholesale changes to the starting eleven, although the starting eleven should still be filled with international quality players.
Doncaster Rovers
The top of the League One table is very competitive early into the season and there are just 6 points between the leaders and 10th placed Bolton Wanderers. One of the teams in the midst of that is Doncaster Rovers, but Grant McCann's side have to put a couple of poor results out of mind as they prepare to try and earn a big upset in the League Cup.
After winning the League Two title, Doncaster Rovers will be thinking about consolidation first and foremost in their return to the third tier of English Football. The start made to the season offers encouragement that more could be targeted, while Doncaster Rovers have beaten Middlesbrough and Accrington Stanley in the League Cup to progress to the Third Round for the first time since 2017/18.
Doncaster Rovers had won 5 in a row in all competitions to build real early momentum, but they have suffered consecutive League losses against Wigan Athletic and Wimbledon. The defeat at Wigan Athletic is the second suffered in 4 away games, although Doncaster Rovers did upset Middlesbrough in an emphatic 0-4 victory at the Riverside Stadium in this competition.
Grant McCann may choose to make some rotations, although perhaps not as many expected by the home team.
Head to Head
These clubs met in the League Cup in August 2009 in a tie hosted by Doncaster Rovers, but it was Tottenham Hotspur who ended up 1-5 winners.
Spurs hosted Doncaster Rovers in the League Cup back in January 1976 and the home team won 7-2.
Prediction
The Champions League and Premier League are the big priorities for Tottenham Hotspur this season, but the fans will be keen to see another trophy lifted in 2026 to add to the Europa League won in 2025.
Thomas Frank will still make changes to his starting eleven, but that should be strong enough to beat Doncaster Rovers from League One.
The latter may have been arriving with more confidence if this match was played a couple of weeks ago, but Doncaster Rovers have suffered consecutive League losses. One of those was a 3-0 defeat at Wigan Athletic, while Doncaster Rovers have also lost on their travels at Huddersfield Town and both times without scoring a goal.
However, Grant McCann's team did crush Middlesbrough in an away upset in the League Cup First Round and so will need to be respected.
The manager has admitted that this is an 'almighty task' for Doncaster Rovers and they are expected to come up short, even if Tottenham Hotspur have made wholesale changes as anticipated.
The Pick :
Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 Doncaster Rovers
