The 13 Tottenham Players Out or Doubtful for Crucial Liverpool Clash

Tottenham’s abysmal campaign has been derailed by significant injuries.

Micky van de Ven is a confirmed absentee. | Catherine Ivill-AMA/Getty Images

Tottenham Hotspur could be without as many as 13 players for their hugely significant journey to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday.

Spurs inexplicably find themselves in the relegation battle, scrambling for survival as they look to avoid an unthinkable demotion to the Championship. With just nine Premier League games remaining, time is running out for the Lilywhites, who are just a point above the relegation zone heading into the weekend.

A challenging assignment away at reigning champions Liverpool is the last thing under-fire Igor Tudor needs this weekend, with their task of taking something back from Merseyside made all the more difficult by an absolutely devastating injury list.

Tudor confirmed the absence of three more players for Sunday’s journey north during his pre-match press conference as things go from dire to dismal for an injury-ravaged squad.

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Tottenham’s Staggering Absentee List

Cristian Romero is the latest casualty for Spurs. | Javier SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images.

Player	Issue	Status
Conor Gallagher	Illness	Doubt
Micky van de Ven	Suspension	Out
Cristian Romero	Concussion	Out
Ben Davies	Ankle	Out
Destiny Udogie	Hamstring	Out
João Palhinha	Concussion	Out
Yves Bissouma	Muscle	Out
Lucas Bergvall	Ankle	Out
Rodrigo Bentancur	Hamstring	Out
James Maddison	ACL	Out
Dejan Kulusevski	Knee	Out
Wilson Odobert	ACL	Out
Mohammed Kudus	Thigh	Out

As if their 5–2 defeat at Atlético Madrid on Tuesday night wasn’t bruising enough, two new names entered the treatment room in Spain’s capital. Tudor has confirmed that both Cristian Romero and João Palhinha will be absent this weekend due to the concussion protocol, after the Spurs pair clashed heads in stoppage time at the Metropolitano.

Tudor also revealed that Yves Bissouma, who was unavailable midweek having been left out of Tottenham’s Champions League squad, had suffered a muscle injury and would be missing for the Liverpool clash.

Spurs already knew they would be without Micky van de Ven through suspension after his costly red card in the recent 3–1 defeat to Crystal Palace, while Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie are also sidelined in the defense. In slightly better news, the latter is expected to return soon.

The absence of Palhinha and Bissouma creates another dilemma for Tudor in midfield, the Croatian coach already without Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in the center of the park. Connor Gallagher is a doubt, too, as he battles a fever, although the winter recruit is likely to feature.

Tottenham’s attack is not quite as decimated by fitness issues but both Wilson Odobert and Mohammed Kudus are missing. The former will sit out the rest of the season, while the latter should return after the March international break.

A threadbare squad will travel to Anfield looking for a first victory at the venue since 2011. Given they have also conceded 17 goals on their last four visits, things look decidedly bleak for the north Londoners.

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Liverpool Has No Excuses Ahead of Crunch Clash

Liverpool are struggling themselves. | Liverpool FC/Liverpool FC/Getty Images

While their misery is hardly comparable to Tottenham’s, Liverpool also find themselves in a sticky spot. They have lost two of their last three in all competitions and continue to deliver mediocre displays, the Reds left fighting frantically for Champions League qualification.

The arrival of an injury-stricken Spurs offers the perfect chance for Liverpool to return to winning ways and boost their Champions League bid, but things have seldom been straightforward for Arne Slot’s side this season.

Liverpool has often floundered against struggling opposition and the pressure to put Tottenham to the sword this weekend could unnerve them. They have no excuses for failing to walk away with a handsome victory from Sunday’s match, especially considering Spurs are yet to win in the Premier League this calendar year.

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