Tottenham Hotspur right back Serge Aurier tragically lost his brother to gun violence in France over the weekend. It will be up to him whether or not he wants to take bereavement leave for the next match, at Newcastle United tomorrow night.
Spurs manager Jose Mourinho said the team will not pressure him into featuring.
“Serge Aurier of course a big question mark at the moment. In this moment, what myself and other people in the club spoke with him is just about supporting a person who has a tragic family moment. Apart from that, it’s just him, his feelings, his way of reacting,” said Mourinho.
“Every person is different. Sometimes with similar feelings, people react in a different way. So we’re going to respect 100 per cent Serge’s decisions. No pressure from us. This afternoon, before or after training, we’ll have a better idea of what he wants to do.”
“As I was saying, everybody reacts in a different way. Similar feelings, similar pain but people can react in many different ways. So let’s see.”
For what it’s worth, we think he’ll play.
As for Newcastle, they will be looking to record their first Premier League double over Spurs since 2015-16, following their 1-0 win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in August.
Tottenham Hotspur Starting XI Prediction (4-3-2-1) at Newcastle United
Kane
Son Bergwijn
Lo Celso Winks Sissoko
Davies Sanchez Alderweireld Aurier
Lloris
Tottenham Hotspur at Newcastle United FYIs
Kickoff: Wed July 16, 6pm BST, St James Park
Team news for both sides: go to this link
Key stat: Tottenham will be looking to record three consecutive away wins in all competitions against Newcastle for the first time since January 1975.
Prediction: Tottenham 2, Newcastle 1
Spurs have won four of their last five Premier League away games against Newcastle, and I fully expect them to keep the trend going on Tyneside tomorrow.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, the author of “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry,” regularly contributes to WGN TV, Sports Illustrated, Chicago Now and SB Nation.
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