Pundit shares new Ange Postecoglou selection verdict of Tottenham FA Cup showdown v Manchester City

We’re delighted to welcome former Scotland right-back Alan Hutton as our exclusive columnist as each week he’ll be giving his views on the biggest talking points at The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium…

Ange Postecoglou will have to name his strongest starting XI for the FA Cup clash between Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City to book Spurs' place in the fifth round, according to Alan Hutton.

Spurs welcome Pep Guardiola's side to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Friday (26 January) with the fourth-round clash being their first fixture following the Premier Leagye's winter break, having drawn 2-2 with Manchester United last time out.

Postecoglou opted to name as strong a starting line-up as possible for Tottenham's third-round win over Burnley, with the likes of Dejan Kulusevski and Pedro Porro starting but has since been boosted by the returns of Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven.

While some have suggested the Australian should rotate his side against City to avoid further injury, Hutto believes that the Spurs boss should name his strongest starting XI to try and knock the champions out of the FA Cup.

"I can see him going as strong as possible," Hutton told Tottenham News.

"Obviously it's a big game, they're high up in the league and they want to do as well as possible. I don't see him making too many changes. One or two depending on injuries and how people are feeling.

"But I don't think he's got much room to manoeuvre, therefore I think he'll go as strong as possible. I think you need to against these top teams because if you don't you can find yourself in trouble."

Tottenham drew 3-3 in a chaotic Premier League meeting at the Etihad Stadium earlier this season, with Kulusevski's last-minute strike ensuring that the points were shared before a contentious call from Anthony Taylor halted a City counter-attack.

Following the FA Cup meeting with Pep Guardiola's side, Spurs return to Premier League action as they face Brentford at home on Wednesday (31 January) hoping to close the gap between them and Aston Villa in fourth place.

In other Tottenham news, Hutton believes it will take a "huge fee" from Real Madrid or Barcelona to sign Cristian Romero

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