Frank will not fail to take EFL Cup seriously

Tottenham will not take the EFL Cup lightly as Thomas Frank sets out to win a trophy in his first season in charge.

Spurs, who won the Europa League last season, have made a positive start to life under Frank.

They have taken 10 points from 15 on offer in the Premier League, while also winning their opening Champions League match, and came back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Brighton last time out.

Next up for Spurs is a home clash with lower-league Doncaster Rovers, whose only previous win in nine meetings with Tottenham in all competitions was their first in December 1935.

Indeed, Doncaster have lost all four of their away games at Spurs while shipping 14 goals in the process.

And while Frank will make some changes to his line-up on Wednesday, he is set on guiding Spurs to silverware.

"I don't know any coach or manager or player that doesn't want to compete and try to win," Frank told reporters, as quoted by BBC Sport.

"We are really looking forward to going into the EFL Cup and will do everything we can to try to win it. We play for that.

"I would like us to compete in all four tournaments across the year. If you're going to do that, you need to pick the right team all the time.

"Every time we put a team out there it is super strong. We need to hit that perfect number of players that rotate and a strong team.

"There will be some rotation but there should be, with all respect to Doncaster. They have Grant McCann [as manager], who I know very well.

"He is a very good guy and we need to respect his team, but we need to play to our highest level and get to the next round."

This will be the first meeting between Tottenham and Doncaster in any competition since the 2009-10 EFL Cup second round, with Spurs winning 5-1 away from home on that occasion.

"It will be a great opportunity to have some of the young ones on the bench," Frank added.

"It's a privilege to be able to give someone a debut. Obviously, they have to show it in the under-18s, under-21s, national team and with us to get the opportunity."

While Randal Kolo Muani and Ben Davies remain sidelined, Frank is expecting Dominic Solanke and Kota Takai to be on the verge of a return to action.

Long-term absentee Dejan Kulusevski, meanwhile, could be back in the fold before the end of 2025.

"Of course, Kulusevski is a top player," Frank said of the Swede, who sustained a serious knee injury towards the end of last season.

"I have always liked him when I saw him from afar. He is a key player for us and a key player for me.

"Instead of putting an exact month [on his return], I just want him back as soon as possible. It's not tomorrow, but hopefully it's not too far away."