“Nothing changes, on New Year’s Day,” Bono sang in the classic U2 song named after the holiday. Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte, his players and their fans are certainly hoping to see changes in the new year, primarily, an end to that decade-and-a-half trophy drought. During the 2022 portion of this season, Spurs haven’t often resembled a silverware winning side. They’ll need to improve their form, and find more consistency in the new year, in order to finally add something again, to that trophy case at White Hart Lane.
It all starts with a visit from Aston Villa, and ahead of this clash, Conte gave a couple fitness updates,
Tottenham vs Aston Villa FYIs
Kickoff: Sunday Jan 1, 4pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Google Result Probability: Tottenham Win 58% Draw 23% Aston Villa 19%
Spurs Starting XI Prediction: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Spurs Team News
Rodrigo Bentancur (thigh, or some reports say adductor) is nearing a return, but this game will come too soon for him. Cristian Romero (late return from the World Cup, following a long run with Argentina), on the other hand, will be available.
“Romero is back, yeah, he’s back and he’s available for the Aston Villa game,” said Conte. “But Rodrigo and I think we have to wait, maybe today, he’s going to have an MRI to try to have an evaluation about his injury. But for sure against Aston Villa he’s not available.
Richarlison (thigh, or hamstring) and Lucas Moura (calf) are out. Djed Spence (unspecified illness) is a doubt, but as he’s only featured four times this season, he might not even play anyway, even if he were match fit.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager 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.”
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