Owen Bailey on Premier League engine room battles + the Spurs fan inside Doncaster Rovers' camp
You'd be spoilt for choice when attempting to try and guess Tottenham Hotspur's midfield on Wednesday night.
Manager Thomas Frank has a flurry of internationals to pick from as he prepares for Doncaster Rovers' visit in the third round of the Carabao Cup. For Rovers skipper Owen Bailey it's yet another opportunity for him to pit his wits against elite players. Last season saw Bailey and his Rovers colleagues face top flight pair Crystal Palace and Everton in the cup competitions, offering the 26-year-old the chance to rub shoulders in the engine room with the likes of Adam Wharton and Idrissa Gana Gueye.
Safe to say he's itching to do it again at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium regardless of which superstar he's directly up against.
"You want to play against best teams and the best players but when you're up against them one-v-one and you're duelling with them or trying to take them on, it's exciting and a real challenge," Bailey told the Free Press.
"Ultimately you want to play at the highest level because it gives you a sense of where you are comparatively. To have the chance to show how good you are against someone doing it in the Premier League and the Champions League, it's nothing but exciting."
Tomorrow night's clash could well see an interesting dynamic with Tottenham loanee Damola Ajayi having been given permission to feature against his parent club.
He is just one of many links within the Rovers squad. Goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala spent six years in their academy whilst there's also a fan of the London club behind enemy lines.
"I was having a laugh with Damola the other day asking if he'd celebrate if he scored!," adds Bailey. "So it'll be interesting to see! He's a great kid and if he's selected it'll be a really unique experience for him. Also, Timmy was at Tottenham and Zain Westbrooke is a big, big Spurs fan so we've got quite a few links in there!"