Antonio Conte says Tottenham could be without four first-team stars vs Sporting CP including Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski
Antonio Conte has said that Tottenham Hotspur could be without Richarlison, Dejan Kulusevski, Cristian Romero, and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg for the UEFA Champions League clash against Sporting CP.
The Lilywhites were without the quartet for their 1-2 loss against Newcastle United at N17 this weekend. Richarlison and Kulusevski, according to Conte, are confirmed to be out for the clash against the Portuguese side in north London tomorrow night.
The Brazil international has been absent since picking up a calf injury in the 2-0 win against his former club Everton earlier this month. Kulusevski’s thigh injury, however, has spanned for several weeks and it still remains unclear when the Sweden international will be back.
Romero could also be unavailable for the game tomorrow along with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. However, their injuries are not serious and we can expect them back sooner rather than later.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday (October 25), the Italian manager said [h/t Football.London]:
“Richarlison and Kulusevski are out, recovering but still not available. Romero and Hojbjerg tomorrow morning we will see. If there is a possibility for them to recover we will try everything because its an important game for us.”
Oliver Skipp and Yves Bissouma were the two midfielders that partnered Rodrigo Bentancur in a 3-5-2 against the Toons. Davinson Sanchez and Clement Lenglet have filled in at centre-back whenever our first-choice trio of Romero, Ben Davies, and Eric Dier have not been present.
It’s an important game against Ruben Amorim’s side who beat us 2-0 in the reverse fixture. With just two matchdays left, Spurs cannot afford slip-ups. Fans would want four points from these two games to confirm qualification.
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However, the permutation and combinations will make more sense once we reach matchday 6. For now, the club has to be focused on playing for a win tomorrow considering the game is at home. As of now, all four teams can qualify from the group.