Live buildup: Jonathan Woodgate misses Carling Cup Final

01 March 2009 12:25
Refresh for latest updates from Wembley. Comment below as well. 14:45 Andy Gray is harping on about the importance of Tottenham's line-up this afternoon. With Rooney out, Pavlyuchenko and Bent will need to sharpen their goal boots up front. Here is Telegraph Sport's Stewart Robson's prediction.. ...Manchester United's back four, no matter who has played, have looked impregnable and I cannot envisage how Roman Pavlyuchenko or Darren Bent would unsettle them if they played in orthodox positions. Therefore, I would ask them to play as far apart as possible, forcing United's full-backs to mark them. From there, they can make diagonal runs inside the full-back and behind the centre-halves, especially when Luka Modric has the ball. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14:40 So no Wayne Rooney. He has a virus, which seems a tad odd. I have just seen him get off the team bus in a suit, and not tucked uop in bed being comforted by Coleen. Strike options will now be spearheaded by Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez. Anyway, at least we will be seeing some young English talent at Wembley. And those who love their stats probably won't be too surprised by this pearler, which those folk at Opta have unearthed. This weekend will be almost 10 years to the day that a Premier League side last fielded a starting XI consisting of only English players. On Feb 27 1999, 14 Englishmen appeared for the Aston Villa in their local derby with Coventry City, and Opta can exclusively reveal that this is a feat not matched in the Premier League by any side since this date. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14:30 So here we go. Feast your eyes on today's teams Manchester Utd: Foster, Evra, Ferdinand, Ronaldo, Nani, Scholes, Welbeck, Gibson, O'Shea, Evans, Tevez. Tottenham: Gomes, Corluka, Assou-Ekotto, Dawson, King, Lennon, Jenas, Zokora, Modric, Pavlyuchenko, Bent. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14:10Breaking news: He finished all Terry Butcher-like after Tottenham's win over Hull, he scored the winner in last year's Final after Chelsea's Petr Cech punched a clearance straight back into his face. But Redknapp is now faced with a defensive problem with 50 minutes to go... ... because Jonathan Woodgate is out of the Carling Cup Final after failing a late fitness test on his ankle. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14:01 Both sets of fans are beginning to flock up Wembley Way with just under an hour unti kick-off. And here is Man Utd's route to the final: 3rd rd: Middlesbrough (h) W 3-1 4th rd: QPR (h) W 1-0 5th rd: Blackburn (h) W 5-3 SF1: Derby (a) L 0-1 SF2: Derby (h) W 4-2 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 13:45 Such is the stature of the Carling Cup, that the host broadcaster has decided that 2:30 is a decent time to kick-off build-up, a full 30 minutes before kick-off. This certainly is no FA Cup Final when my father would throw back the nostalgia and inform me that buil-up in the old days would mean four hours of live TV before the match. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 13:30 Past League Cup meetings between the two sides. 1998-1999 QF: Tottenham 3 Man Utd 1 1989-1990 3rd rd: Man Utd 0 Tottenham 3 1981-1982 2nd rd, 1st leg: Tottenham 1 Man Utd 0 1981-1982 2nd rd, 2nd leg: Man Utd 0 Tottenham 1 1979-1980 2nd rd, 1st leg: Tottenham 2 Man Utd 1 1979-1980 2nd rd, 2nd leg: Man Utd 3 Tottenham 1 Victory today would also see Spurs join Aston Villa as the second most successful club in the League Cup with five wins, two behind Liverpool. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Source: Telegraph