Poch: I won’t risk my stars just 48 hours after scary City test

MAURICIO POCHETTINO will put fitness before fixtures tonight to cut out the risk of his men getting injured.

The Tottenham boss is unhappy at being asked to play twice in the space of 48 hours with the north Londoners facing a Halloween EFL Cup trip to West Ham.

The contest comes just two days after Spurs’ Premier League defeat on a boggy Wembley pitch by champions Manchester City.

It is also the second of three games in six days with the club slated to play at Wolves on Saturday evening.

Pochettino (right) said: “If I put the same players in there is a risk that they become injured.

“It is so difficult. It is not easy. We are going to assess all the players because it is less than 48 hours to compete again having had the circumstance of playing on a pitch that was so difficult.

“It was tough and a very competitive game. We will see which players can repeat, some can be on the bench and some need to rest.

“I think we are in a period in the season that is different to when Christmas arrives and when it is a normal season – you can prepare yourself to compete during 10 months.

“A lot of the players didn’t have a pre-season and that is why it is so difficult.

“My feeling today is that it is going to be difficult for some players to play again, maybe Eric Dier who played 65 minutes. Maybe, maybe. But I don’t believe too many will be ready and fresh to play.”

Pochettino could make as many as 11 changes for tonight’s match at the London Stadium, even though the Hammers put Spurs out of the competition last season. In fact, West Ham have eliminated their London rivals on the past two occasions they have met in the League Cup, having also won in the quarter-finals in 2013-14.

Midfielders Harry Winks, Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli could all start after they came on as second-half substitutes against City on Monday.

Alli signed a lucrative new six-year deal worth £100,000 a week on Tuesday (below) in a huge boost for the club. He could now start his first game since losing to Watford in September.

Pochettino added: “It was so complicated and we were so disappointed when he got injured and we do not want him to suffer another setback.

“We will see. If he feels well maybe he will be available to play from the beginning. We will see if he can play an hour or 70 minutes. But we need to assess him every day.

“Christian is fully fit. I asked him to play 90 minutes against PSV Eindhoven, it was difficult again to overload him against City, but we hope he will be ready. We will see.”

The match comes only 11 days after the two London clubs met in the Premier League – where Spurs ran out 1-0 winners.

But West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini said: “This is a major competition we take very seriously, and we have been on the training pitch since Sunday preparing our work and focusing on what we need to do to come out on top.

“I’m very proud of the way the team is playing, the way we are thinking as a big team, and the mentality of the players to try to win every match.”

CHELSEA U21 (2) 5 Brown 20, Songo’o og 37

Taylor-Crossdale 74 Anjorin 87, Redan 89 TRANMERE (0) 0 MAN CITY U21 (0) 1 Att: 747 Matondo 49 SCOTTISH CHAMPIONSHIP AYR (0) 3 ALLOA (0) 0 Shankland 46, 90 Att: 1,742 Forrest 81

FALKIRK (1) 1

Draper og 26

Att: 3,767

INVERNESS (2) 2 DUNFERMLINE (2) 2 Calder 20 Keena 10, 29 White 34 Att: 1,994 QN OF SOUTH (0) 1 MORTON (1) 2 Dobbie 65 McHugh 41 Att: 1,174 Lyon 84 VANARAMA PREMIER

AFC Fylde (0) 1 Gateshead (0) 0 Aldershot (1) 1 Boreham (0) 1 Barnet (1) 1 Salford City (1) 3 Bromley (1) 2 Braintree (2) 4 Dover (0) 0 Dag & Red (2) 2 Eastleigh (1) 1 Leyton Orient (0) 1 Ebbsfleet (0) 1 Maidstone (0) 1 Harrogate (0) 4 Barrow (1) 2 Havant & W (2) 7 Maidenhead (0) 0 Solihull (0) 0 FC Halifax (0) 0 Sutton (1) 1 Chesterfield (0) 1 Wrexham (1) 1 Hartlepool (0) 0 VANARAMA NORTH

AFC Telford (1) 1 Hereford FC (1) 1 Altrincham (1) 4 Nuneaton (0) 0 Boston Utd (0) 1 Brackley (2) 3 Bradford PA (2) 2 Darlington (2) 2 Chester FC (2) 4 Ashton Utd (0) 1 FC United (1) 1 Alfreton (0) 1 Guiseley (1) 1 Blyth Spartans (2) 3 Leamington (0) 0 Kid’minster (3) 4 Southport (1) 2 Curzon Ash (0) 2 Spennymoor (2) 3 York (0) 0 Stockport Co (0) 3 Chorley (0) 0 VANARAMA SOUTH

Billericay (0) 3 E Thurrock (1) 2 Concord (3) 3 Chelmsford (0) 0 Eastbourne (2) 2 Hampton & R (2) 2 Hemel Hemps (0) 1 Slough (0) 1 Oxford City (0) 1 Chippenham (0) 1 St Albans (1) 2 Welling (0) 0 Truro City (1) 1 Bath City (0) 1 Weston-S-M (1) 2 Torquay (0) 2 Woking (1) 3 Hungerford (0) 0 ROSS COUNTY (0) 1 Vigurs 78

INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP, China, 2nd Rnd (selected): M Gould (Eng) bt B Hawkins (Eng) 6-3, A Carter (Eng) bt S Maguire (Sco) 6-4, Y Bingtao (Chn) bt R Day (Wal) 6-5, M Stevens (Wal) bt M King (Eng) 6-5, J Trump (Eng) bt M Holt (Eng) 6-1, M Allen (NIrl) bt HV Ayouri (Irn) 6-3, M Selby (Eng) bt R Milkins (Eng) 6-4, N Robertson (Aus) bt J Perry (Eng) 6-5