Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp will give fans a glimpse of a Brazilian future when he puts out a team of youngsters against Arsenal on Tuesday night. Redknapp will hand Brazil's 21-year-old Sandro Ranieri his debut in midfield as he seeks to protect his big-name players during the Carling Cup third-round tie with the Gunners.
With a Premier League encounter against West Ham on Saturday followed by midweek action in the Champions League, Redknapp insists he cannot play his full-strength side in a competition Tottenham won in 2008.
Redknapp said: "I can't kill off Gareth Bale. He had two games for his country, then ran a million miles in Germany (against Werder Bremen) down that left flank. He's still a boy. He's running on empty. I've got to protect him a bit.
"We've got lots of players who need to play who haven't featured recently. They are good quality players who need games under their belt and some of the players need a rest.
"I can't keep using the same players. I am going to protect some of them. There will be lots of changes. Arsene Wenger's done it over the years and played the youngsters even in cup semi-finals. You've got to do what's right for the team."
Redknapp, who stresses he respects the Carling Cup and still wants to win the trophy, also believes it will show how quickly Tottenham are closing in on the clubs above them.
He added: "Arsenal have been more successful in recent years, but we are getting closer. When we get a new stadium we will be getting 60,000 people a week like Arsenal do. They are both big clubs.
"The Carling Cup is important. I can't understand teams in the middle of the table resting their players in the Carling Cup. You have a chance of going to Wembley.
"It's a chance to win a cup and I don't know why they mess about with their teams. It is different if you have Champions League football."
