It has now been confirmed, by Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu that Rodrigo Bentancur suffered a concussion last week.
All things considered, this is very good news, as that was absolutely an extremely scary scene last week, in the EFL Cup semifinal leg one win over Liverpool.
North London Derby FYIs
Kickoff: Jan. 15, 2025, at 8pm UK at Emirates Stadium
Team News: Tottenham Arsenal
Starting XI Prediction: Arsenal Tottenham
Google Result Probability: Arsenal 70% Draw 17% Tottenham 13%
PL Position, Form Guide: Arsenal 2nd, 40 pts DWWWD Tottenham 12th, 23 pts WLLDL
Spurs Team News
“Good news,” Postecoglu said. “He was in hospital and did all the tests to make sure everything is OK. All good. He’s back home, and he’s fine. He is feeling good… Thankfully, it looks like a concussion and nothing more than it.”
So Bentancur will now enter the concussion protocol, and while he’ll miss the North London Derby on Wednesday, we’ll just have to wait and re-assess after that.
There is even better news, when it comes to No. 2 goalkeeper Fraser Forster. With the No. 1 shot-stopper out, he is the current first choice, but he’s battling an illness.
It sounds like he could possibly be in contention here.
Finally, the long-term injury concerns, Spurs have plenty of those, and from just the hamstring/thigh area alone. The group contains Ben Davies, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison.
Of that group, the last name that we mentioned there will be the first to return, but none of them will be back for this game, or even the next.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network, the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America and RG. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter.