Tom Carnduff is backing Rochdale forward Ian Henderson as his best bet for the Sky Bet League One's side FA Cup fifth-round replay against Tottenham at Wembley.
1pt Ian Henderson to have 1+ shots on target at 11/8
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It’s a date at Wembley for Sky Bet League One strugglers Rochdale as they travel to face Tottenham in an FA Cup fifth-round replay.
Steven Davies’ 93rd minute equaliser was enough to give Keith Hill’s side the draw after Harry Kane’s late penalty seemingly secured passage for Spurs.
Unsurprisingly, Spurs are 1/9 odds-on favourites for this one, with 12/1 the best price for the game to go past 90 minutes and Rochdale a huge 33/1 to cause a shock upset.
Tottenham are looking to extend their unbeaten run to 16 games in all competitions and it should be a straightforward night in front of their home crowd.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men came up against lower league opposition in the last round, and similar to Rochdale, League Two side Newport County forced a replay at Wembley.
Erik Lamela's strike alongside a Dan Butler own goal were enough to hand Spurs a 2-0 win on that day, and they’ll be hoping for another comfortable evening on Wednesday.
Despite the uphill task, Rochdale boss Keith Hill has said that "we have done our due diligence on Tottenham. We have got to focus on our own game plan and not get carried away with the occasion or the trip and focus on the processes we have to go through.
“We have to be better than we were against Tottenham a week ago."
They can approach the game with nothing to lose, the huge underdogs coming up against one of England’s Champions League contenders.
Ian Henderson struck in the first meeting between these two sides and he should be involved if Rochdale are to get opportunities in front of goal again in the replay.
He was Dale’s biggest threat in front of goal at Spotland, registering three shots in the contest, two of which were on target and one of those ending up in the back of the net.
With the betting as one-sided as this contest is, I’d be looking to Henderson as one to back on Wednesday night. Whilst a goal may be a tough ask at Wembley, the big stage provides the perfect opportunity for the 33-year-old to hit the headlines once again.
He’s also got six goals in the FA Cup this season, more than Manchester United’s Romelu Lukaku, Spurs star Kane and Leicester’s Kelechi Iheanacho have managed to achieve. Only Wigan’s Will Grigg has scored more in this competition this season.
Tottenham are also without central defensive duo Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, significantly weakening their back line.
This is why I’m backing Ian Henderson to have 1+ shots on target at 11/8. It’s a big price for someone who will be a key figure for the visitors going forward, and he may be inclined to trying his luck more on the big stage.
Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Rochdale (Sky Bet's odds: 12/1)
Posted at 1040 GMT on 28/02/18.
Tottenham will be without central defenders Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld. Vertonghen misses out with an ankle injury but could return to face Huddersfield on Saturday, while Alderweireld remains on the sidelines with a hamstring problem.
Michel Vorm returns in goal while Kieran Trippier, Danny Rose, Harry Winks and Son Heung-min are also set to start.
Scott Wiseman, Billy Knott, Sam Hart and Mihai Dobre are all ineligible after joining the club in the January transfer window. Defenders Niall Canavan and Keith Keane are also expected to miss out having played just one game between them in 2018 due to injury.
Youngsters Daniel Adshead, Aaron Morley and Matty Gillam have been promoted to the senior squad for the clash.