Spurs seek to switch cup venue

Tottenham Hotspur have applied for dispensation to play their Carabao Cup third-round tie against Watford at MK Dons’ Stadium MK.

With the draw made yesterday, the club have taken the step because their new White Hart Lane stadium will not be ready and Wembley is unavailable for the match during the week commencing Sept 24. Wembley hosts Anthony Joshua’s fight with Alexander Povetkin on Sept 22.

In a statement, Tottenham said: “The board of the EFL will now consider our request at its next meeting on Thursday, Sept 6.

“We appreciate that Stadium MK may not be an ideal destination for every fan on a weekday evening. However, the club felt it would not be beneficial to request a reverse of the fixture as it would have resulted in no more than a 10 per cent allocation of tickets for our supporters at the venue of our opponents. In contrast, we shall have a ticket allocation of up to 90 per cent at a neutral venue.

“Consideration was given to a number of different stadia and for a variety of reasons – capacity, availability, facilities, accessibility, pitch quality and clubs still being in the competition – it was simply not possible to secure a neutral venue within the M25.”

Liverpool were pitched against Chelsea in the standout match of the draw. Holders Manchester City travel to Oxford United, of League One. Macclesfield Town, the lowest-ranked team left at 23rd in League Two, head to West Ham.