Antonio Conte gives latest injury news on Tottenham Hotspur ahead of Chelsea clash in Carabao Cup semi-finals
Speaking in the pre-match presser (h/t Football.London), Antonio Conte has given the latest injury news on Tottenham Hotspur ahead of the clash against Chelsea in the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals. His team has a solid deficit to overcome tomorrow and would need to rally together to have a chance of qualifying for the finals.
Tottenham have some injury concerns in their squad, with Cristian Romero, Son Heung-Min and Eric Dier being among the list. Speaking about Romero, Conte revealed that he is close to making a return to the squad. He said:
“Today Cristian, had a little part of a training session with us. He’s very close to coming back.”
Dier missed the game against Morecambe due to an injury, and the 52-year-old boss gave an update on his situation. He added that they would not take any risk and worsen the problem if players are not fully recovered.
“Fresh players injured no, but we didn’t recover the players that are injured. (When asked if Eric Dier is out) Yeah, but I don’t want to speak about the names. A couple of injuries that they are very close, very close to start to play again but it’s better not to take a stupid risk for the game tomorrow because we risk losing players for a long time.”
Good news in general
The Spurs coach also gave the latest news regarding Son, who picked up an issue during the first-leg against the Blues. He provided a timeline on the return and stated that the forward would be out for at least until the international break.
“The update on Sonny is that for sure we have to wait until after the international break. It was a muscular problem and it was strange because he came off during the game. The day after he felt a bit of pain and he was injured. It’s a pity because you know very well the importance of this player for us.”
The updates are a great piece of news in general, but unfortunately, it does not give us any boost for the match tomorrow. The fans were hoping for the return of the Englishman at least, as it was obvious with the other two that they would not make it.
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The absence of the 29-year-old would hamper us for sure, looking at the contributions he has had this term. Bryan Gil may probably start meaning he would have to raise his game for the high stakes.
The Italian manager has previously mentioned that he sees Joe Rodon as the backup option for the 27-year-old. As such, we may see Rodon start once again just like he did last game against Morecambe. He has largely been sidelined in this campaign, but a great performance against Thomas Tuchel’s side could help him make his case at N17.
There is a lot at stake for the club and the players meaning they have to work together and overcome the challenge we will face tomorrow. Time will tell, though, if we can get through to the next round or not.
