Latest Tottenham Hotspur team news ahead of Premier League clash vs Chelsea
According to Football. London, the latest team news suggests that Tottenham Hotspur are set to get a defensive boost ahead of the crunch clash against Chelsea tonight.
The North London side went through a difficult period during the significant Covid-19 surge, with several players sidelined. Antonio Conte’s defence was hit by some crucial injures after that and the Italian manager has had to make do with the squad at his disposal.
However, Conte has some good news ahead of his second trip to Stamford Bridge this January. He looks set to welcome back a key first-team player for today’s clash.
After suffering from a muscular problem, Eric Dier was sidelined for the last four matches. However, Conte confirmed that the English defender returned to training this week after making a full recovery and is ‘100%’ fit. The central defender could be part of the defence unit for the North London team later tonight.
Conte was pushed to use out-of from Japhet Tanganga of late and the return of Dier would be a massive boost going into the crunch clash. Whether Dier will start the match or settle for a spot on the bench remains to be seen.
Cristian Romero is also set to make his return but the game against Chelsea has come too soon. The former Inter Milan manager revealed that the Argentine is recovering well and could return after the international break.
Son Heung-min was sidelined after Tottenham’s Carabao Cup first leg clash against Chelsea, and according to Conte is still some way off full recovery. One of Tottenham’s biggest attacking threats, having him unavailable on the night will certainly aid Chelsea’s cause.
Meanwhile, Dier’s return is undoubtedly a boost for the Tottenham defence. However, Conte will still have to rely on full-back Ben Davies in the central defensive line until Romero returns.
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With Son unavailable, Tuchel can be more assured with the absence of Reece James. The Chelsea boss will be without his first-choice fullbacks on the night and has decisions to make regarding some of his other out of form players as well.
Chelsea got the better of Tottenham in both legs of the Carabao Cup semifinals. The Blues will be hoping to continue their dominance in the fixture and make it three wins out of three against Conte this month. Anything less than that will not just see us drop further behind in the title race but also potentially be drawn into the race for the top four.
