Javi Gracia says Watford will treat Tottenham game at  as Carabao Cup final

Watford manager Javi Gracia Watford  says, they will treat Wednesday’s clash with Tottenham at Stadium MK as the Carabao Cup final. Garcia has led Watford to fourth place in the Premier League after six games.

The third-round match will be played at MK Dons, because the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is still under construction  and the club’s temporary home, Wembley, is unavailable due to Anthony Joshua’s fight with Alexander Povetkin on Saturday night.

Watford have reached the last four of the Carabao Cup on two occasions, most recently in the 2004/05 season, and current boss Gracia sees the competition as of equal importance to the Premier League and FA Cup.

Garcia said, “For me, the final is tomorrow,” he said. “If you don’t win, you don’t have more chances. This is the best mentality. We will see for the future, but this next game we will play as a final. For me, all the games are important. The Carabao Cup is a good competition. I don’t give more importance if we are playing in the Premier League, Carabao Cup or FA Cup. It’s the same for the players as well.”

Despite his respect for the competition, Gracia hinted he may make changes for the knockout tie, as he did in Watford’s  second round 2-0  win over reading.

Watford eliminated Championship side Reading in the second round

 

Gracia, though, is expecting a “very different” game against Mauricio Pochettino’s side on Wednesday night.

 

“I’m sure this game will be very different than the other,” he said. “I’m sure of that, but we are confident we are going to compete again as we did in the Premier League.

“We know it’s a very good club, a very good team. It will be a tough game but we know if we keep the same levels as the last game we can compete with any team.

“Tottenham are a very good team, Pochettinho is one of the best coaches. They will play well against us and it will be a very demanding game for us.”

 

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