Ange Postecoglou has named a strong Tottenham team to host Roma in the Europa League on Thursday night with only four changes.
Spurs take on Claudio Ranieri's side knowing that a win would put them into a strong position in the big Europa League table in which a top eight finish brings the opportunity to head straight into the knockout stages and avoid the extra play-off legs early next year.
Postecoglou is without goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who joins a list of unavailable players that includes Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore, as well as the suspended Will Lankshear, while Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are not registered to play in the Europa League.
Rodrigo Bentancur is available though as his seven-match ban is only for domestic matches and he comes into the side along with Archie Gray at left-back and Fraser Forster is in goal in order to start building up his sharpness and rhythm as he replaces Vicario in the months ahead.
Brennan Johnson starts the match after coming off the bench to score against Manchester City in the 4-0 triumph at the Emirates Stadium.
Here's the team Postecoglou has selected to take on the visitors from Serie A.
Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Sarr, Bentancur, Kulusevski; Johnson, Solanke, Son. Subs: Austin, Whiteman, Hardy, King, Udogie, Bissouma, Maddison, Olusesi, Bergvall, Williams-Barnett, Werner.
It's almost Black Friday - the time of year where everyone clamours to get their Christmas shopping done to get the best discounts.
Normally football shirts are a quick way to spending loads of money, but this Black Friday you could get your Tottenham merchandise on the cheap.
Black Friday traditionally lands on the first Friday after the American celebration of Thanksgiving. This year, that means it'll take place on November 29, 2024.
Four weekends before Christmas, it marks one of the busiest and best shopping events of the year, and a great opportunity to tick off your Christmas shopping list while saving money.
And there are some good deals you can get on Nike Tottenham merchandise this year, ahead of Black Friday kicking off. That is because Nike are offering a 25% discount on a whole range of products.
Whether it's the first team home kit or the latest bobble hat for the cold weather snap, Nike have got you covered.
Here football.london takes a look at the best Tottenham items on the market with 25% off on the Nike shop.
Stadium home shirt 2024/25 - Was £84.99, now £63.74 with discount code GOBIG24
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Tottenham Hotspur Academy Therma-Fit gloves - Was £29.99, now £22.49 with discount code GOBIG24
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Stadium away younger kids full kit 2024/25 - Was £54.99, now £41.24 with discount code GOBIG24
There are plenty of other items available on the Nike store too, but hurry, Black Friday offers end on December 3.
It has been a classic case of an up and down season for Tottenham Hotspur so far. Inconsistency in the team has been rife, with a win, lose, win, lose sequence leaving fans tearing their hair out.
Ange Postecoglou oversaw arguably his best result as Tottenham head coach last week when Spurs demolished reigning Premier League champions Manchester City 4-0. It was City's first defeat at home in 53 matches and a real statement of intent from Spurs.
Now, though, Postecoglou's side must back it up, by not dropping points as they take on Fulham at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday. Consistency is the key thing for Spurs now if they are to maintain their hopes of finishing in the top four and even challenging for the title in the coming years.
It looked like Postecoglou's masterplan finally came to fruition against City, but it appears to have been working all along, if you look at the raw stats.
The CIES Football Observatory have looked at Wyscout data around every team's attacking intent, looking at where shots are taken and conceded from in the danger zone (the central rectangle of the penalty area).
According to the data, Spurs have taken the second-highest number of shots inside the danger area at 6.91 per match. Only City have registered more in the Premier League.
Tottenham do concede more at 4.45 per game than top four rivals Liverpool, Man City and Aston Villa, although they concede less than Arsenal and Chelsea have done this season.
It leaves Spurs at 0.38 points worse off in the league per match this season than they should be. Based off that data, Postecoglou's team would be a point behind Liverpool (who are 0.52 points better off per match than expected) and a couple of points behind Man City (who are 0.13 points worse off per match than expected).
The statistics point to Postecoglou doing a fine job with Spurs and they should be higher in the table than they are. But it's down to the players to get the job done on the pitch on a regular basis and ensure results like the City one is not a flash in the pan.
Tottenham will be looking to build on their fantastic victory last weekend with another three points against Roma in the Europa League.
James Maddison grabbed a brace as Spurs beat Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad Stadium in their last outing, with the result taking Ange Postecoglou's side to sixth in the league table and just four points off second spot. It was a hugely impressive win for the Lilywhites, and now, all attention turns to the Europa League, with Spurs welcoming Roma to north London.
A 3-2 loss to Galatasaray in their last Europa League game put an end to Spurs' perfect start in the competition, with Postecoglou's side seventh in the table heading into tonight's clash. Spurs have been handed another big defensive injury ahead of the Roma game, with Guglielmo Vicario out for a few months after breaking his ankle against Man City.
So, can Spurs get back to winning ways in the Europa League? Let's take a look.
We simulated Tottenham vs AS Roma to get a score prediction
To complete this simulation, we used EA FC 25 and updated the squads with the latest injuries and suspensions.
We predict that Tottenham could line up in a 4-3-3 formation, with their starting XI as follows: Forster; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Gray; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Johnson, Solanke, Werner.
We predict that the visitors could set up in a 4-4-1-1 formation, with their line-up as follows: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Soule, Kone, Cristante, Zalewski; Pellegrini; Dybala.
In just under two minutes, Spurs got off to the perfect start against Roma, with Dominic Solanke tapping home Timo Werner's driven cross at the near post to send the Lilywhites into an early lead. The early goal seemed to give the hosts a huge confidence boost, and nine minutes later, they managed to grab a well-deserved second.
As Spurs patiently moved the ball forward, Maddison spotted Brennan Johnson's central run forward before picking him out with a fantastic through ball. Johnson got the best of his marker to surge through on goal, and as he shot, a wicked deflection off the covering defender saw the ball loop over the 'keeper and into the far corner.
Postecoglou's side were in full control, but just before the break, Roma pulled a goal back with their first shot of the game, with Paolo Dybala rifling an incredible strike into the top corner from 20-yards out to halve the deficit going into half-time. The visitors were full of energy after the restart as they looked to find an equaliser, but Spurs managed to withstand the pressure before restoring their two goal advantage.
Similarly to the first goal, Maddison picked out the run of Solanke with another fantastic pass, with the striker using his body to hold off the defender and break through on goal. Under pressure, Solanke opted to shoot early, and his powerful finish flashed past the 'keeper to make it 3-1.
Roma had no answer for Spurs' third of the evening as the Lilywhites picked up an impressive Europa League victory.
Tottenham have added academy duo Maeson King and Malachi Hardy to their Europa League squad ahead of Thursday evening's showdown against Roma. Ange Postecoglou's side are currently short on numbers with a host of first-team regulars currently missing through injury.
Guglielmo Vicario has this week joined Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Wilson Odobert and Richarlison in the treatment room after undergoing surgery for a fracture of his right ankle. Mikey Moore remains out due to a virus and fellow youngster Will Lankshear is unavailable after his red card last time out against Galatasaray.
Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are also not available for selection after missing out on Tottenham's 25-man squad that was named at the beginning of September. Due to the amount of absences at present, Postecoglou is likely to have a handful of the club's talented youngsters on the substitutes' bench.
Defensive duo King and Hardy could well be options from the bench after they were added to Tottenham's European squad ahead of the Roma game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. In addition to the 25-man squad, clubs involved in UEFA competition also have a B list which increases the options available to a manager on a game day.
Club-trained players who were born on or after January 1, 2003 are allowed to be considered for selection but they must have been with Tottenham for an uninterrupted period of a minimum of two years to be eligible. Europa League participants are allowed to register an unlimited amount of players on the B list during the campaign, with the necessary paperwork having to be completed no later than midnight (CET) on the day before a game.
With numbers rather light at present due to the absences, King and Hardy have been added to the B list. King, who travelled with the first team as 21st man for the Manchester City fixture, will provide cover at left-back and centre-back for Spurs, with 16-year-old Hardy potentially in the matchday squad for the second successive game after taking his place in the 20-man matchday party for the 4-0 triumph over City.
Spurs have so far added a number of academy players to their B list since starting their Europa League campaign against Qarabag in September. Luca Gunter, Alfie Dorrington, Dante Cassanova, Tyrese Hall, Callum Olusesi, Oyindamola Ajayi, Luca Williams-Barnett, Moore and Lankshear are all on Tottenham's B list as things stand, with King and Hardy the latest players to join them on there.
Ange Postecoglou has plenty of unavailable players as Tottenham host Roma in the Europa League on Thursday evening but he still has some decisions to make with his team.
Spurs welcome Claudio Ranieri's side knowing that a victory would put them in a strong position in the big Europa League table to ensure a top eight finish and the chance to head straight into the knockout stages and avoid the extra play-off legs early next year.
Postecoglou will have to do so without a string of big players. Goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario joins a list of unavailable players that includes Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore, as well as the suspended Will Lankshear, while Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are not registered to play in the Europa League.
Rodrigo Bentancur is available though as his seven-match ban is only for domestic matches which leaves him available to play against Roma this week and then Rangers in a fortnight's time. Postecoglou has other options which he could bring in, including Archie Gray, Lucas Bergvall and Timo Werner while Fraser Forster could start in order to start building up his sharpness and rhythm as he replaces Vicario in the months ahead.
Here's the team we reckon Postecoglou will select to take on the visitors from Serie A.
Ange Postecoglou will have to do without a total of nine players for Tottenham's Europa League tie against Roma on Thursday evening. Injuries have hit Spurs hard in recent weeks and that in turn has left the head coach with limited options to pick from when it comes to his team selection.
Guglielmo Vicario became the latest player to join a long list of casualties after it was confirmed on Monday evening that he had gone under the knife for a fracture of his right ankle. Spurs picked up a handful of injuries last November and history is very much repeating itself 12 months on.
Tottenham head into their latest Europa League game sitting seventh in the 36-team league after four fixtures. The Lilywhites were defeated in Istanbul last time out following a 3-2 loss at the hands of Galatasaray and it is important they get back to winning ways as they look to remain in the top eight.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY on Wednesday afternoon, Postecoglou revealed that Cristian Romero will play no part against the Italian side as he remains out of action with a foot injury. The boss stated that the World Cup winner will definitely be back in training next week if not by the end of this week.
"Cuti is getting better. He’s a lot closer," said Postecoglou. "We’re hoping he’ll be out there training with the group with a bit of luck by the back end of this week, if not, definitely next week."
football.london were present for the first 15 minutes of Tottenham's training session just prior to the press conference and there was no sign of Romero or Mikey Moore with the rest of the team. The youngster has been hit by a virus recently and Postecoglou said that "it's still probably a couple of weeks before he’ll be ready to get properly back into it".
Micky van de Ven will once again not be available for Tottenham as he works his way back to fitness from a hamstring issue. Postecoglou confirmed last week that a return in the middle of December for the Dutchman is on the cards.
Wilson Odobert also has a similar injury at present but his is more of a long-term absence after undergoing surgery to his right hamstring earlier in the month. That isn't the end of the hamstring injuries as Richarlison also has the same issue and it's looking like the new year when he will make his comeback.
Will Lankshear then joins the big list of missing attackers as he is suspended for the Roma game following his red card at Galatasaray at the beginning of the month. The striker will only be absent for the one match after he was dismissed for two bookable offences.
Djed Spence remains ineligible for Tottenham in the Europa League after he was left out of the team's 25-man squad prior to the league phase commencing. The same goes for out-of-favour Sergio Reguilon, whose only appearance in a matchday squad this season came away at Coventry City in September.
Tottenham were out on the cold Hotspur Way pitches on Wednesday as the players trained in preparation for the Europa League match against Roma.
Spurs host the Serie A side on Thursday and the Italian outfit will arrive with a recently-appointed new manager in Claudio Ranieri, who famously won the Premier League title with Leicester despite Tottenham's best efforts that season. Now he will bring his Roma side to north London looking to get them back on track after a difficult season which finds them 12th in Serie A with just three wins from 13 matches.
They will take on a Spurs team with a lot of absent players yet still buoyant after Ange Postecoglou's side won 4-0 at Manchester City on Saturday in the Premier League.
The available players for the Europa League game plus a couple of unregistered ones were training at Hotspur Way on Wednesday and football.london were present to watch the opening stages of the session. Here's what we spotted during the 15 minutes of open training for the media.
Who was missing
Spurs now have six players missing following Guglielmo Vicario's fractured ankle. Watching the goalkeepers coming out was strange without the 28-year-old, who is currently recuperating in Italy following his surgery there before coming back to the UK on Friday to begin his road back to fitness.
Vicario joins a list of unavailable players that includes Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven, Richarlison, Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore, as well as the suspended Will Lankshear, while Djed Spence and Sergio Reguilon are not registered to play in the Europa League. The latter three all trained despite their unavailability.
Romero is expected back in group training either towards the end of this week or early next week, Van de Ven is getting closer and could be spotted in the gym while the others were training outside. Moore was hit hard by a nasty virus that worked its way through his system and the 17-year-old will still be another couple of weeks before he can be put through the physical intensity of a Postecoglou training session.
What they did
The media only gets to see 15 minutes at the start of training when it comes European fixtures and matchday minus one.
We could see the players being put through their paces in the gym to warm up before coming out and then they emerged into the chilly wind before going through some warm-up runs with various twist and turns and stretches.
The sports science staff then got them going through some passing drills before taking on a fun race in teams which involved taking a bib, putting a cone on one pole, taking one off another pole and then stuffing the bib in their hand through the free-kick wall figure on the other side for the next man to take and go through the same process in a relay.
Most of the four teams involved claimed victory at the end regardless of whether they'd actually finished first or not, including a particularly noisy group containing James Maddison, Pape Matar Sarr, Yves Bissouma, Destiny Udogie and Dominic Solanke.
Feeling the cold
The temperatures were low on Wednesday at the Enfield-based training ground with biting winds and you could hear a few players playfully screaming when they emerged from inside.
Most were wrapped up in snoods, hats, headbands and running leggings or tight tracksuit trousers to counter the wind chill but much of that will have ended up coming off once the real work of the training session properly kicked in. The young academy players had to grin and bear it without extra apparel as they looked to impress.
Some very young players
There's plenty of talent in Tottenham's academy and Postecoglou has not been concerned about age when picking players to step up into the first team set-up to cover the absences.
Nineteen-year-old goalkeeper Luca Gunter was practically an old man when you look at the outfield players who continued to be part of the first team after being on the bench against Manchester City. Highly-rated 16-year-olds Malachi Hardy, a centre-back, and attacker Luca Williams-Barnett were training with the Spurs stars on Wednesday along with another gifted youngster in 17-year-old midfielder Callum Olusesi.
Versatile defender Maeson King travelled with the team as the 21st man on Saturday in case of illness or injury and the 19-year-old continued to train with Postecoglou's group in this session.
All eyes will be on wonderkid Williams-Barnett, who will become the youngest player in Tottenham's history if Postecoglou brings him off the bench on Thursday night.
Playful Maddison
James Maddison was full of energy and bouncing all over the place like a mischievous imp in front of the media and the cameras. First as the players were coming out he ran up behind captain Son Heung-min and pulled his snood up from his neck and over his face.
Then he continued to enjoy himself during the drills and the race at the end of the warm-ups as he and his team-mates claimed the win. As he ran off to the far pitches to start the proper session he turned and threw one of the bibs at Pape Matar Sarr. The Senegal midfielder ducked and it went over his head and the 22-year-old raised his arm with a triumphant roar.
Both Maddison and Sarr were superb against City and it's no wonder they're both in such high spirits. Postecoglou will be looking for them to continue that form across the big block of games ahead.
Destiny Udogie has been speaking about his 'big brother' Guglielmo Vicario after the Tottenham goalkeeper's injury amid other subjects in his Tottenham press conference ahead of the Europa League match against Roma.
The 21-year-old left-back was put in front of the media at Hotspur Way on Wednesday afternoon to answer questions ahead of the European clash. Udogie was asked about his compatriot Vicario as well as other topics surrounding the club, including Rodrigo Bentancur's ban as well as Djed Spence's turnaround in his Spurs career.
Our Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold was among those putting the questions to the Italy international and you can scroll down for every single word the young left-back said to him and the assembled media.
How disappointing is it to lose Guglielmo Vicario to injury?
We’re going to miss him. In the group, he’s a great leader, and a great player, he will be missed. During the game, he had a bad fracture of his ankle but to keep going showed a lot of character.
Have you spoken to him?
I spoke to him on the day after, asked how was going, and he told me had the operation and will be out for a while. We are just waiting for him to be back.
How does the team make sure the right Tottenham turns up this week?
Yes, it has been difficult because we haven’t really found right consistency but working every day to find the consistency. Today, we have big momentum from the big win last week and another game tomorrow. We will try to win the right momentum.
Ange Postecoglou always wins in his second season, does that put extra pressure on you as players to continue that trend?
We all want to win something because, as the manager said, we’re a group of players who want to win. Every game try to win. Every competition we’re in it for a reason, hopefully we can get something from it.
How would you compare this season to the last?
I think this season is the second season together, we understand each other more, know the gaffer better, the style, we go out there knowing each other better. I think this is the big difference and we have more confidence in our ability and understanding.
What was the reaction to Rodrigo Bentancur's ban in the dressing room?
Obviously, we knew was coming so expected it but just the number of games he's going to miss is a bit heavy but yes.
With Vicario, just how tough is he to play 60 minutes on a fractured ankle?
Honestly, I always knew Vicario was different, he is a great guy with strong mentality. For him to play 60 minutes with fractured ankle says a lot about him and I really respect that. As a big brother, I know it is hard when you go and have an operation. I just wish him the best and can’t wait for him to be back.
Is Fraser Forster good enough to fill the gap as you've lost a leader in Vicario?
No, definitely, Fraser is a leader as well. He’s been playing football for a while. So he is going to help us a lot and show his quality every game.
This is your second season at Tottenham, been a lot of good left-footed players at the club, what are your ambitions?
Yeah, second season. Last season I had a great season, but I have always believed in myself and I adapted well. I knew I could adapt and I thought I adapted well. Playing Premier League was always a dream for me but at the same time, I don't have any arrival points, I can always do more. I can always try to improve and build to improve and work to improve. In terms of left-footed players before me, there has been plenty and I can think of (Danny) Rose as a name.
Ange said recently players in their second season with him get used to his training sessions and are more robust. We saw you go off injured against City but here you are again already, so are you feeling stronger in your second season?
Yeah obviously I think the way we train is really hard. As the gaffer said, no one trains like us because really we train hard. I think it is something that gives us more condition to win the game and play 90 minutes at a high level. I think we show this every game.
He can't play in this game but what have you made of Djed Spence this season, really turning his Tottenham career around?
Obviously I think Djed is an incredible player. We're really close friends, we speak a lot and try to help each other in the game. As everyone in the group, you have to help and I hope he can help us as much [as he can].
You've just beaten Man City 4-0, within the dressing room what does the team feel it can achieve?
Obviously as a team we know our quality, we believe in ourselves and every game we want to win. Sometimes it doesn't happen but we know we can do it and we're just focused every game, game after game. We won Saturday but now the focus is on tomorrow and then Sunday. It's step by step and game after game.
The team has been inconsistent and you have had good games but Brighton felt difficult, what did you learn from that?
When I have a bad game, I always try to watch it back. I see my mistakes and try to improve from them. Going into the international break, it was, 'OK I had a bad game, I focus on Italy and try to reset and be ready for the next game.' I try to come back from setbacks.
How enjoyable is it to play as a full-back in Ange's system?
It's really nice because we have the freedom to play in the middle of the pitch. For us, it's not easy because we need to run, come back and attack, but at the same time it's really enjoyable. We can make assists and score.
How long does it take to get used to a change of goalkeeper, like them coming for crosses, and how they position etc?
Honestly I don't think it's going to take long because Fraser or Brandon (Austin), they train with us every day so they know our system, they know the way we play and the way we defend, I think it's going to be easy and he's a great goalkeeper as well. He's going to be ready to step in and help us.