Tottenham Hotspur have won both of their World Cup break friendlies thus far, 4-0 over Motherwell last Friday, and 3-1 against the Peterborough United Under-21s at Hotspur Way Wednesday afternoon. Up next is another exhibition clash against Nice on the 21st. This will complete their de facto second preseason, ahead of returning to competitive action on Boxing Day at Brentford FC.
Let’s take a look at the team fitness situation for this club friendly.
Tottenham vs Nice Club Friendly FYIs
Kickoff: Wed 7pm GMT, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, UK
Tickets: Limited capacity, first-come, first-served, £15 Adults; £5 Under-18s
Spurs Starting XI Prediction: go here
Transatlantic Passage: How the Premier League Redefined Soccer in America: LINK
Spurs Team News
Son Heung-min returned to training in midweek after South Korea’s exit from the World Cup in the round of 16, at the hands of Brazil. The big news here is that he was no longer wearing his face mask during the fitness drills, and that means he could feature, mask less here.
This would be the first time we see him in a Tottenham shirt since Spurs won at Marseille on Nov. 1. Elsewhere Rodrigo Bentancur (adductor) and Richarlison (hamstring) are confirmed out. There was a report in the Times (hidden by a paywall) on Wednesday that says Richarlison could be out an entire month, but it all depends on what the results of his scans show. Tottenham will be hoping the timeline will be measured in days not weeks.
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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