Halloween Saturday brings a slate of spooktacular Premier League fixtures, including a London derby between two sides consigned to the more grim page of the standings. Tottenham Hotspur hosts Crystal Palace in a matchup of the 17th at 14th places sides. Spurs come into this one with a new injury concern, James Maddison, who suffered a groin injury in the win over Chelsea last weekend.
He’ll need to be assessed, prior to kickoff, and then we’ll see where he is at for Saturday.
Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kickoff: Saturday Oct. 31, 5:30pm local, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Google Result Probability: Crystal Palace win 17% Draw 21% Tottenham Hotspur 62%
Premier League Form, Standing: Crystal Palace LDWLL 17th, 7 points Tottenham Hotspur 14th, 9 points, DLDWW
Spurs Team News
There is some good news though, as Destiny Udogie, Tosin Adarabioyo and Mykhailo Mudryk could all come off the injured list and back into the team here.
Let’s start with Udogie, a player who is extremely unfortunate when it comes to injuries. His latest issue is a knee problem, with manager Roberto de Zerby saying last Friday: “Maybe next week he can be available.”
We’ll see. As for Mudryk, he is a longer-term absentee, with an ankle problem, but the return timeline that has been given syncs up with a potential return here.
Adarabioyo will face a late fitness test, as a 50/50 proposition, more or less, due to his calf injury.
Otherwise the Spurs injury situation remains the same: Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert, Savio and Xavi Simons remain sidelined; and then of course, Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended.
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, Ratings 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 and the Washington Post.