Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has suffered a significant setback ahead of the crucial Premier League showdown against Arsenal.
On Wednesday, Spurs will travel to the Emirates Stadium for the much-anticipated North London derby.
While Arsenal are considered the favourites, Postecoglou will be hoping his team can build on their momentum following consecutive domestic cup victories, including a 1-0 triumph over Liverpool.
However, just a day before the match, the Australian coach confirmed that forward Timo Werner will miss the clash after sustaining a hamstring injury during Sunday’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Tamworth.
“The only one who picked up an injury was Timo,” Postecoglou stated on Tuesday. “He picked up a hamstring injury. We’re waiting on the results of the scan.”
Although the severity of Werner’s injury is yet to be determined, it is expected that the 28-year-old winger will be sidelined for several weeks or months.
Werner’s absence adds to Tottenham’s growing injury list, which already includes Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, Destiny Udogie, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Wilson Odobert.
On a positive note, Postecoglou confirmed that Brazilian forward Richarlison is fit to return for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in November against Aston Villa.
“Richy is available,” the Spurs boss said. “We’ve taken our time with him, but he’s been eager to play for the last 10 days. He’s looked really sharp in training.”
Arsenal, meanwhile, will also be without key players, including Gabriel Jesus, who was stretchered off during their FA Cup win over Manchester United with an ACL injury.
“We need to consult one more specialist,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said on Tuesday morning. “I don’t want to confirm anything until we have the final report this afternoon, but we were very worried after the game, and we remain very concerned today.”
Leave a Reply