Lloris aims to save season with final glory

TOTTENHAM captain Hugo Lloris says his side can still save their season by winning the Carabao Cup today. Spurs, who sacked manager Jose Mourinho last week, take on Manchester City at Wembley trying to land their first trophy since 2008.

Winning silverware would go some way to making up for what has been a poor season, with a Premier League title challenge wilting into a race to get into the top four and an embarrassing Europa League exit at the hands of Dinamo Zagreb.

“There is still a chance of a European place next season in the league. Before that, we need to win all the games,” the France captain said. “Then, a trophy is always welcome, especially after many years without a trophy at the club.

“It will not change the feeling of the season because we had so many ups and downs, but we can save the season, yes, of course.”

Spurs hope the appointment of Ryan Mason, a 29-year-old former midfielder, can help galvanise the club in pursuit of their ambitions, but he has been thrown in at the deep end, coming up against Pep Guardiola and one of the best teams in Europe today. However, he believes his side should not be discounted, even if Harry Kane is ruled out with an injury.

“He’s a great manager, he’s one of the best in the world, there’s no doubting that,” he said. “But we’re Tottenham and I’m sure they’ll be thinking of us as well. I’m sure we’ll be doing all we can to get the better of them and likewise they’ll be doing the same for us.”

Ruben Dias, meanwhile, considers today’s showdown just the first of several “finals” for

City, who will aiming to win the trophy for a fourth season in succession. It could be the first of three pieces of silverware as they also close in on the Premier League title and prepare for the Champions League semi-finals.

“Obviously, we were not happy about the FA Cup semi-final [they lost to Chelsea], but you have just got to hang on tight and keep moving forward because we are still in three competitions,” defender Dias said. “It was a hard punch for us, but that is just football, that is the way it is. You win or you lose and, because we have been so good so far, now it is all finals. Every game is a final.”