Tottenham Hotspur may not be going into the semifinal against Bodo/Glimt in great form, but their opponents are in even poorer shape, with yet another of their key men succumbing to injury ahead of what is one of the biggest games in the Norwegian club’s history.
The Lilywhites have had a disastrous season domestically, with Tottenham on course to achieve their lowest-ever Premier League points tally.
However, the North London club go into the clash against Bodo/Glimt as massive favourites, not just because of the quality they have at their disposal, but also due to their opponents’ injury situation.
It emerged last week that Bodo/Glimt will be without three key players for the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Captain Patrick Berg and midfielder Hakon Evjen are both suspended due to an accumulation of Europa League yellow cards, while Andreas Helmersen, who scored an important goal against Lazio, is also banned after he was sent off in the last round.
Bodo/Glimt suffer yet another major injury setback ahead of Tottenham clash
Football.London have revealed that during Bodo/Glimt’s 3-0 win against KFUM in the Eliteserien, centre-back Odin Bjortuft was forced off in the 54th minute and left the pitch holding his groin.
The 26-year-old has been a fixture in the club’s backline all campaign and has been one of the pillars of their Europa League success.
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Speaking after the game about the defender’s injury, his teammate Ulrik Saltnes said: “He was disappointed and told me that his groin was painful, but you can feel pain without that necessarily meaning it is something [bad].”
Bod/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen added about Bjortuft’s groin problem: “I do not know anything. I never enjoy a player lying down, but the medical staff are looking into it.”
Ange Postecoglou will have a nearly full-strength Spurs squad
Ange Postecoglou confirmed following Tottenham Hotspur’s 5-1 thrashing at Anfield that there are no injury concerns, with all of his players emerging from the game unscathed.
However, the Australian will be sweating on the fitness of his captain, with the injured Heung-min Son not yet ruled out of the first leg against Bodo/Glimt.