Tottenham Hotspur travel to Wycombe Wanderers on Monday night and hope to avoid an FA Cup upset against the lowly Championship side.

Wycombe are bottom of the Championship having picked up just 15 points in 23 matches since their promotion last season. The sides have met only once before, also in the FA Cup fourth round in 2017, when Wycombe led 2-0 at half-time and 3-2 with a minute to go, only for goals by Dele Alli and Son Heung-min, the latter in the seventh minute of stoppage time, to give Spurs a dramatic win.

Jose Mourinho’s side beat Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Sunday to record their fifth win in a seven-match unbeaten run, while Wycombe haven’t played since beating Preston North End 4-1 in the third round a fortnight ago.

Wycombe vs Tottenham 

Wycombe have found the step up to the Championship a tall order this season. They lost their first seven league matches and, despite recovering to lose only one of the next seven, have managed just a win and a draw in the past night. Tottenham’s current form and the fact Wycombe will not have played for 16 days by Monday nights suggests that there is unlikely to be an upset at Adams Park. 

Hosts may draw a blank

Spurs have already reached the final of the League Cup this season but it’s not just that or their league standing that suggests they will continue their progress in the FA Cup on Monday night.

Despite the demands of a congested season, Jose Mourinho has fielded strong sides in cup ties throughout the season, as the club look to end their 13-year wait for a trophy.

Mourinho is likely to do the same for the trip to Adams Park but even if he does rotate his line-up significantly, Spurs have more than enough strength in depth.

Alongside this, they have the second-best defensive record in the Premier League this season, while Wycombe have scored just 16 goals in 23 Championship games, fewer than all bar their fellow strugglers Derby County and Sheffield Wednesday.

Hence our first tip is that it’s unlikely both sides will be on the scoresheet on Monday.

Spurs have plenty in reserve

The depth in Tottenham’s squad can be illustrated by the players who did not feature in the victory at Sheffield United on Sunday, when the likes of Toby Alderwiereld, Erik Lamela, Moussa Sissoko and Gareth Bale were all unused substitutes and, of course, Dele Alli was not even part of the squad.

Strikers Carlos Vinicius and Lucas Moura made cameo appearances from the bench but can expect to feature for longer against Wycombe, with Mourinho unlikely to start his two biggest stars, Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, while former England goalkeeper and Bale are also in line to start.

With plenty of attacking options at their disposal, Tottenham will be expecting to grab some goals in this tie. They scored in both halves in their last fixture with a Championship side, when they faced Brentford in a League Cup semi-final, and we’re backing them to do it again on Monday.

Full-backs to be targeted

Wycombe are likely to have a lot of defending to do on Monday night, and against some skilful attackers, there is every chance that referee Jonathan Moss may show a few yellow cards.

One Wycombe player who isn’t shy of a booking is left-back Joe Jacobson. The 34-year-old is known for his set-piece exploits, and has scored three times this season, but has also picked up five yellow cards and may have to contend with the likes of Moura, Bale and Steven Bergwijn from the start.

Alongside this, Jacobson is a passionate player and was booked for dissent during Wycombe’s 1-1 draw with Queens Park Rangers in December. Another booking isn’t out of the question, and considering the trickey of the opponents he’s up against, that outcome is certainly worth backing.