Tottenham Hotspur host Charlton Athletic in the Carabao Cup second round as Roberto De Zerbi looks for a response after Spurs’ 3-0 defeat to Brentford.
Tottenham Hotspur have the perfect opportunity to put a miserable Premier League opening day behind them when they welcome Charlton Athletic to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night.
Roberto De Zerbi’s side were humbled 3-0 by Brentford on Saturday, producing a performance that raised more questions about Tottenham’s expensive summer rebuild.
Defeat on the opening day. pic.twitter.com/QXZJm62Tsv
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 22, 2026
Charlton will look to make the game an uphill task for Tottenham. The Championship side have started the season strongly and arrive in north London after beating West Ham United, while Tottenham are under pressure to rediscover some confidence following their opening-day disappointment.
Match preview
Few expected Tottenham’s new era under De Zerbi to begin with a 3-0 defeat, particularly after the club spent more than £300 million rebuilding the squad during the summer.
The likes of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Andy Robertson, Marcos Senesi and Jan Paul van Hecke were brought in to transform a team that had finished 17th in consecutive Premier League seasons. Instead, Spurs looked disjointed and were thoroughly outplayed by Brentford.
That makes Wednesday’s cup tie about more than simply progressing to the third round.
De Zerbi needs to see a reaction. The Italian has already spoken about the importance of developing a winning mentality at Tottenham, and the Carabao Cup provides an immediate opportunity to start building one.
Charlton, meanwhile, will arrive without the same pressure but with plenty of confidence. Nathan Jones’ side have made an impressive start to their Championship campaign and also secured a Carabao Cup victory over Cheltenham in the previous round. Tyreece Campbell has been particularly dangerous, scoring in each of Charlton’s opening three matches.
The Addicks will also be making their first-ever visit to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, giving the occasion an added sense of importance for the Championship visitors.
Historically, Tottenham have had the upper hand in this fixture, winning five of the last six meetings between the sides. Their last competitive encounter was back in 2011, when Spurs won 3-0 in the FA Cup.
However, Charlton’s current form means De Zerbi cannot afford to treat this as a routine exercise.
Team News
Tottenham have several players unavailable, but there is some positive news ahead of the cup tie.
Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro are expected to return to the matchday squad after missing the Brentford defeat, although both could begin on the bench. Dominic Solanke is fit and available, while new signing Sávio could make his Tottenham debut after his £75 million move from Manchester City, potentially rising to £85m with add-ons.
Sávio is Spurs 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/5n24JoUHLU
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 25, 2026
James Maddison remains unavailable with a shoulder problem, while Mohammed Kudus, Pape Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski are also among those dealing with injuries.
With Spurs facing another Premier League game against Newcastle at the weekend, De Zerbi is likely to rotate his side. Players such as Rodrigo Bentancur, Mateus Fernandes, Kevin Danso and young forward Mikey Moore could be given opportunities to impress.
Charlton are expected to largely stick with the core of the team that has started their impressive opening to the season. Campbell, Sonny Carey, Karlan Grant and Miles Leaburn all started the victory over West Ham and could retain their places.
MATCHDAY! 🤍
🆚 Charlton Athletic
🏟️ @SpursStadium
🏆 @Carabao_Cup
⏰ 7.45pm BST pic.twitter.com/YLeEaCBmFP— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) August 26, 2026
Tottenham Hotspur vs Charlton Athletic Predicted XI
Tottenham Predicted XI:
Dubravka; Gray, Danso, Van Hecke, Robertson; Bentancur, Fernandes; Sávio, Gallagher, Moore; Solanke
Charlton Athletic Predicted XI:
Amos; Jones, Jones, Gillesphey, Edwards; Coventry, Docherty; Campbell, Carey, Grant; Leaburn
Score Prediction
Tottenham 3-1 Charlton
