Tottenham Car Crash Duo Not Among 14 Players Unavailable for Champions League Finale

Thomas Frank takes on Eintracht Frankfurt with a major selection headache.

Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert had their trip to Germany punctuated by a puncture. | X/Lilywhite_Rose

Randal Kolo Muani is described as “fine” and expected to feature in Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night despite finding himself involved in a “minor” car accident.

The front tire of Kolo Muani’s Ferrari “blew up,” according to Spurs boss Thomas Frank, while driving to Stansted airport for Tottenham’s flight to Frankfurt. His teammate Wilson Odobert was following him down the M25 in Hertfordshire and pulled over to check on his French compatriot. The pair consequently missed the plane, but were expected to arrive in Germany later on Tuesday.

Frank revealed that “everyone else involved in that accident was just fine,” promptly turning his attention towards the mass of players not available for the league-phase finale with automatic qualification for the last-16 on the line.

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Tottenham’s 14 Missing Players

Micky van de Ven’s pace is a real weapon Spurs can’t use. | Marc Atkins/Getty Images

1. Micky van de Ven: Frank wrote it off as a “minor, minor thing” and opened the talisman centre back up to some involvement against Manchester City on Sunday.
2. Pedro Porro: The right back is expected to be sidelined with a new hamstring injury for four weeks.
3. Lucas Bergvall: Ankle surgery has ruled out the Swedish youngster until April.
4. Richarlison: Tottenham’s top scorer will do well to recover from a hamstring injury in the next month.
5. Mohammed Kudus: The one reliable creative outlet at Frank’s disposal this season is not expected back until April.
6. Rodrigo Bentancur: The severity of Bentancur’s hamstring injury was enough to convince Spurs to sign Conor Gallagher.
7. Ben Davies: A failed move to buy Andy Robertson was ignited by the ankle surgery Davies has been forced to undergo.
8. James Maddison: Tottenham’s sidelined creator is more likely to appear in another boo-hoo campaign before he gets back on the pitch.
9. Dejan Kulusevski: The most concerning thing about Kulusevksi’s knee injury is the lack of any return date.
10. Yves Bissouma: Despite actually being fit, he isn’t registered for the Champions League after falling out with Frank over the summer.
11. Mathys Tel: Much to the Frenchman’s disdain, he has been removed from Tottenham’s Champions League squad (for the second time this season) to make way for Dominic Solanke.
12. Radu Drăgușin: After starting the season with an ACL tear, another player Spurs could very much do with is ineligible.
13. Souza: New signings cannot be registered until the knockout phase of the competition gets underway, denying Souza a spot this week.
14. Conor Gallagher: The necessity of Gallagher’s signing has been questioned in some quarters, but the need for any warm body at Spurs is clear.

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How Thomas Frank Can Set Up Against Eintracht Frankfurt

Thomas Frank remains on the brink. | Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA/Getty Images

It wasn’t all doom and gloom for Frank. The beleaguered Spurs boss was able to welcome the midfield duo of João Palhinha and freshly crowned Africa Cup of Nations champion Pape Matar Sarr back to the squad, offering some much-needed fit bodies to compete with the likes of Archie Gray and Xavi Simons in midfield.

It will be all change in the middle, which is no bad thing after Bissouma and Gallagher were pulled apart by Burnley in the second half of last weekend’s demoralising 2–2 draw. There will also likely be a shift to a back four in the absence of Van de Ven, although Djed Spence’s return to his natural right back position may be a blessing for all involved.

Frankfurt have the leakiest defence in the Bundesliga and are still in search of a permanent manager. Despite their decimated resources, Spurs still have a good chance of extending their strong Champions League form.

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Tottenham Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1)

Starting XI: Guglielmo Vicario; Djed Spence, Kevin Danso, Cristhian Romero, Destiny Udogie; João Palhinha, Archie Gray; Wilson Odobert, Pape Matar Sarr, Xavi Simons; Dominic Solanke.

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