⚽ EFL Cup · Round 2
Crystal Palace host Tottenham Hotspur at Selhurst Park in EFL Cup Round 2, a genuinely intriguing South London cup night with no replay to lean on if either side has an off night. Pierre Sage’s new-look Palace welcome a Tottenham side still shaping its identity under Roberto De Zerbi’s permanent stewardship, and both clubs walk into this one with real, recent cup credentials behind them. This preview is part of our full EFL Cup Round 2 coverage.
Team Analysis
Crystal Palace
Sage is still stitching together a new-look defence following Maxence Lacroix’s £52 million move to Chelsea, and a home cup night gives him another opportunity to build cohesion at the back under less pressure than a league fixture. Selhurst Park has traditionally been an awkward place for bigger visiting sides, and Sage will lean on that atmosphere against a Tottenham side he knows will be dangerous if given time on the ball.
Tottenham Hotspur
De Zerbi, now settled in as permanent head coach, is still missing Xavi Simons through an ACL injury, a real loss of creativity in behind the forwards. Summer signing Mateus Fernandes adds fresh legs in midfield, but a trip to a well-organized Palace side without Spurs’ most inventive attacking piece is a tougher ask than the gulf in league position might suggest.
Cup Pedigree Watch
- Palace’s cup pedigree is no longer a punchline. Crystal Palace lifted the FA Cup for the first time in their history in May 2025, beating Manchester City in the final. It’s a different competition, but this is a club that now knows exactly what winning a major domestic cup feels like, and Selhurst Park has plenty of fresh belief to draw on.
- Tottenham’s League Cup and FA Cup history runs deep. Eight FA Cup titles and four League Cup wins — including this exact trophy in 1971, 1973, 1999 and 2008 — make Spurs one of English football’s most cup-decorated clubs across the decades, even in years when the league form hasn’t matched it.
- Two clubs with genuine recent and historic cup pride meeting this early raises the stakes. Neither side will want to be the one making an early exit against an opponent with a legitimate cup CV of its own.
Our Prediction
Tottenham’s overall squad depth should still be enough to advance even without Simons, but Palace’s home atmosphere, fresh off their historic FA Cup triumph, and Sage’s defensive reshuffle make this a genuinely competitive tie rather than a formality for the visitors.
Connor’s Pick: a close one, slight lean Tottenham Hotspur
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