Djed Spence was left out of the Tottenham Hotspur squad that lost 2-1 at Fulham, due to a knock on his calf. He’s basically in the “doubt” or “late fitness test” category for the next match, which is also a London derby, a visit from Crystal Palace on Thursday night.
Another injury/fitness situation to keep a closer eye on is Destiny Udogie, who has been battling a hamstring issues for a few weeks now. The fullback is on a kind of, not day-by-day, but week-by-week type of situation.
Crystal Palace at Tottenham Hotspur FYIs
Kickoff: Thursday March 5, 8pm local, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London
Google Result Probability: Crystal Palace 32% Draw 28% Tottenham Hotspur 40%
Premier League Form, Standing: Crystal Palace DWLWL 14th, 35 points Tottenham Hotspur 16th, 29 points, DLLLL
Tottenham Hotspur Team News
Udogie most likely won’t be back for this match, but he could return to action next week, or at least before the March internationals. Also absent for midweek is central defender Cristian Romero, who continues serving his suspension, after having gotten sent off in the 2-0 loss to Manchester United on February 7.
Meanwhile Lucas Bergvall is looking at an April return from his ankle, with Mohammed Kudus probably coming back around the same time, as he recovers from his hamstring injury.
Everyone else is ruled out until late in this season, or next season, and that list is pretty long, consisting of Dejan Kulusevski (knee surgery recovery), Wilson Odobert (ACL), Rodrigo Bentancur (hamstring), Ben Davies (ankle surgey) and James Maddison (knee).
So when you add it all up, the numbers of individual player absentees in this one could reach double digits.
So although we’ve said it before, many times, it’s easy to understand why Spurs are fighting to stay up in the top flight this season. It’s hard to win when you consistently have so many players in the infirmary.
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, RG.org and Ratings.org. 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.