Tottenham Hotspur need to overcome a two-goal deficit to make their second successive Carabao Cup final without several of their first-team stars this evening.

Antonio Conte's depleted side welcome his former club Chelsea to north London for the second leg of their semi-final clash but the Italian does not have the likes of Eric Dier, Cristian Romero, Heung-min Son or Steven Bergwijn available.

Spurs will be buoyed by some confidence, at the very least, following their FA Cup third-round win over Morecambe on Sunday afternoon but the Champions of Europe are a different kettle of fish.

It will be interesting to see what sort of side the Italian does opt for, with crucial Premier League encounters against arch-rivals Arsenal, Leicester City and then Chelsea again on the horizon.

Here's the XI we're predicting at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tonight...

Predicted-Spurs-XI-vs-Chelsea-Carabao-Cup-semi-final-second-leg

There could be as many as seven changes from the side that won against the League One minnows at the weekend.

Club captain Hugo Lloris is likely to return between the sticks, taking the place of Pierluigi Gollini but without Dier and Romero, it's hard for Conte to field much of a different backline.

Therefore, Ben Davies and Joe Rodon could remain, with Davinson Sanchez returning in place of Japhet Tanganga, who was at fault for the Shrimpers' opener.

There could be a return for Sergio Reguilon at left wing-back and Matt Doherty may even keep his place on the right, with Emerson being held back for this weekend's derby.

Meanwhile, in midfield, Harry Winks may make way despite a Man of the Match display as it allows for the usual partnership of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp.

The £36m-rated Dane, dubbed a "monster" in midfield, has been one of Conte's best-performing players and he offers some much-needed leadership in the engine room.

In the absence of Son, Conte could push Giovani Lo Celso further forward to partner Harry Kane and Lucas Moura, who are the two final changes. The duo made a considerable goalscoring impact at the weekend and will surely start here this evening.

AND in other news, Spurs "confident" of soon landing £20m "monster" in bargain swoop, Conte will love him...