Conte must unleash rarely-seen Tottenham colossus who's "special", he could bully Boro - opinion

Tottenham Hotspur take a midweek break from Premier League action as they head to the northeast for an FA Cup fifth-round clash with Middlesbrough.

Antonio Conte’s side head into kickoff fresh on the back of a 4-0 whitewash against Leeds United on Saturday, a result which saw Marcelo Bielsa sacked by the Yorkshire giants as their poor form continued.

For the Italian, though, he will be keen to maintain the levels from that game, having lost four of their last five outings prior.

The Championship outfit poses a different kind of threat under former Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder and it will be interesting to see if the Spurs head coach views it as an opportunity for rotation as several of his key stars have been ever-present since his arrival in mid-November.

Of course, Boro must not be taken lightly and it’s a genuine chance at some silverware but there is also a place in the top four to play for and they have some tricky fixtures against Everton and Manchester United on the horizon.

Given his experience in the division, it could be time to finally turn to the rarely-seen Joe Rodon as he can provide the perfect cover for either Eric Dier or Cristian Romero.

Since arriving in an £11m deal from Swansea City in October 2020, the Wales international has been restricted to only 22 appearances for the club, in which just eight have been this campaign and three have been under Conte.

The 6 foot 4 colossus remains a regular for his country despite this lack of game time and in the past, he has earned quite lofty comparisons, including a particular likeness to one of the Italian’s former stars.

“You look at Rio Ferdinand and John Terry and there are elements of both in Rodon’s game,” once claimed Sky Sports pundit Andy