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 Hinchcliffe.

Meanwhile, one performance against Belgium, who were at the time ranked the best team in the world, saw the 24-year-old defender lauded as "flawless" and a "special player" by journalist Ian Mitchelmore.

Perhaps most interestingly, at the end of the 2020/21 campaign, Rodon led the squad for interceptions per 90 (2.6) and had the best passing accuracy aside from Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, as per WhoScored, so not only has he proven his ability for the English top-flight in such a short space of time but he also looks like an ideal fit for Conte as a ball-playing beast.

Tonight presents the perfect opportunity to hand someone like Dier a rest and to take a proper look at the young Welshman.

The £12.5m-rated fringe man has very rarely let Spurs down whenever handed the chance to start and given his history in the EFL, he could dominate Boro on Spurs' way to victory.

AND in other news, Conte could unearth Spurs' next Kane in 17 y/o "diamond" who can save Levy millions...