Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that fringe goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga will start against Arsenal in the Carabao Cup clash against Arsenal.
The 26-year-old has only made five appearances this season but will take the gloves for the huge north London derby clash, with Hugo Lloris getting a rest.
Pochettino was talking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the game on Wednesday night and also confirmed that he would be rotating his side.
He was quoted by ESPN reporter Ben Pearce.
#thfc Pochettino on tomorrow’s cup tie against Arsenal: “Maybe I surprise you and don’t rotate too much.” Asked whether Gazzaniga will play, he says with a laugh: “Yes he will play. I’m going to rotate!”
— Ben Pearce (@BenPearceSpurs) December 18, 2018
OPINION
Gazzaniga has made a big impression on Tottenham fans this season and they’ll be more than happy to hear that he’ll be between the sticks for a game they’ll be desperate to win. They’ll be hoping that Pochettino doesn’t field too much of a weakened team though, with a real shot at a trophy and a victory over north London rivals Arsenal at stake. Of course, the Premier League is the priority, and Spurs have four games over a really packed Christmas schedule. But Spurs fans want a trophy and they won’t want to go out of the Carabao Cup against their rivals with a whimper tomorrow. There’s always the possibility that Unai Emery will stick with some of the young players that have made such an impact in their cup games this season, and the two sides could be surprising for a quarter-final. In fact it could be a glimpse of a north London derby of the future. It’s going to be a fascinating game but we can see Tottenham coming out on top. Just.