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Spurs could have some good news ahead of their Europa League last-16 tie with AZ Alkmaar

Micky van de Ven is finally closing in on a comeback

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Jonathan Gorrie1 minute ago

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

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Tottenham’s injury problems are easing ahead of the start of knockout stage of the Europa League.

Spurs are away at AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of their last-16 tie on Thursday and Ange Postecoglou’s options have been boosted by the return of some key players.

There are set to be further comebacks this week, with Postecoglou hoping for more good news going into what will be a defining period as Spurs bid to salvage some silverware from what has been a difficult season.

Spurs have been helped by an eight-day break before the first leg against Alkmaar which has given their returning players extra recovery time.

Ahead of a big week, here is the latest Tottenham injury news and return dates...

Micky van de Ven

Spurs have been extra cautious with Micky van de Ven due to his hamstring issues, but he is in line to finally return to action this week.

While Postecoglou has said Van de Ven has an “outside chance” of being fit for the first leg against Alkmaar, the centre-back has “much better odds” of returning against Bournemouth in the Premier League on Sunday.

Van de Ven has not featured since a 45-minute cameo against Elfsborg on January 30

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“The first European game I’d say outside chance but certainly [he will] be back training fully by then and then we’ve got Bournemouth and I reckon much better odds for that,” said Postecoglou last week.

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“And definitely, by the second European game [he] should be available to play.”

Potential return date: March 6, vs AZ Alkmaar (A) or March 9, vs Bournemouth (H)

Cristian Romero

Like Van de Ven, his centre-back partner Romero is closing in on a comeback.

Romero has been out with a quad injury since December and his recovery has been described a “slow burner” by Postecoglou.

But the Argentina defender was pictured back in Spurs training last week.

Romero is back in Spurs training after nearly three months out

Ben Whitley/PA Wire

He also has an “outside chance” for Alkmaar on Thursday but “much better odds” of facing Bournemouth on Sunday.

“With Romero and Van de Ven that’s the plan at this stage,” said Postecoglou last week.

“We’ve a little window where hopefully we can get something into them and still got two European games and three Premier League games between now and the international break so I really want them up and running by then.”

Potential return date: March 6, vs AZ Alkmaar (A) or March 9, vs Bournemouth (H)

Dominic Solanke

Dominic Solanke could also return this week but Spurs will be more cautious with him.

The £65million summer signing is ahead of schedule in his recovery from the knee injury he suffered in training in January.

Dominic Solanke is ahead of schedule in his recovery from a knee injury

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Solanke was expected to be out for around six weeks and, while he also has an “outside chance” of being fit for Thursday, Postecoglou says Spurs will be careful with the striker.

“Dom’s the only one where we’ve got to be careful because he’s ahead of schedule so I don’t want push that in case we need to pull the reins in a bit,” said Postecoglou last week.

Potential return date: March 6, vs AZ Alkmaar (A) or March 9, vs Bournemouth (H)

Richarlison

Richarlison has been sidelined since being forced off with a calf injury in the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg defeat at Liverpool last month.

But the Brazilian striker could be in the mix to return in the two games this week.

Potential return date: March 6, vs AZ Alkmaar (A) or March 9, vs Bournemouth (H)

Ben Davies

Ben Davies has missed the last three Spurs matches with an unspecified knock but the left-sided defender is set to return this week.

Postecoglou had hoped to have Davies back for last Wednesday’s game against Manchester City but did not want to risk him.

“He hasn’t re-injured,” said Postecoglou last week. “He’s just been carrying something that I don’t want to push at the moment.”

Radu Dragusin

Potential return date: Next season

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Ange Postecoglou took a massive gamble with his Tottenham team selection - and it’s a case of ‘what if’ following the narrow defeat

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Dan Kilpatrick @ Dan_KP2 minutes ago

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham’s mini-revival came to an end as they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in north London.

Erling Haaland’s goal after seven minutes settled a lively encounter, in which City were dominant in the first half but Spurs rallied encouragingly after the break.

Wilson Odobert, Heung-min Son and Pape Matar Sarr all went close to an equaliser, while Haaland had a second goal ruled out by the VAR in stoppage-time for a handball.

Here are three Spurs talking points from the match…

Did Spurs miss an opportunity?

In a trio of big calls, Spurs head coach Ange Postecoglou left out captain Heung-min Son, Dejan Kulusevski (their player of the season so far) and Djed Spence (their player of 2025) – with Pedro Porro, James Maddison and Odobert, who was making his first start since September, coming in.

The result was a flat first-half display from Spurs, who struggled to contain City’s wingers Jeremy Doku and Savinho, and offered next to nothing in the way of threat from an experimental front three of Odobert, Mathys Tel and Brennan Johnson.

The hosts had Guglielmo Vicario to thank that City were not further ahead by the interval.

But Postecoglou’s side rallied impressively after the break, with Odobert lively and substitutes Sarr and Son going close to a leveller.

A quadruple substitution of Kulusevski, Sarr, Son and Spence, followed by the return of Timo Werner, helped Spurs to stay in the ascendency but they could not fashion an equaliser, with City going closest to another goal when Haaland bundled through to score – only for the VAR to rule out the effort for a handball.

Ange Postecoglou brought on the cavalry in the second half

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Spurs’ season now surely comes down to the Europa League and perhaps Postecoglou sensed that already, hence resting key players with the first leg of the last-16 knockout against AZ Alkmaar in eight days time.

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But you were left wondering what might have been if Spurs had played Spence, Kulusevski and Son from the start against a fallible City, and whether this should go down as an opportunity missed to win a fourth straight league game.

Another victory would have raised real optimism that Spurs could still salvage their league campaign but, as it is, their remaining 11 matches will feel low-stakes.

Plainly, Kulusevski, who has played every game this season, Son and even Spence need some time out at some point but could Postecoglou have used them more sparingly against Ipswich on Saturday or asked them to go again here ahead of more than a week with no game?

Odobert promising

In Son’s place, Odobert was bright from the left flank, leaving you wondering what might have been for the 20-year-old if he had not been injured for most of the season.

The Frenchman came close to a leveller after the break, stretching to meet Porro’s excellent cross, and also saw a deflected shot balloon just beyond the far post after a bright run.

Postecoglou said in the week that Odobert offers something “unique” to this Spurs team and presumably the head coach was talking about his willingness to take on his man in one-on-one situations.

Wilson Odobert made his first start for Tottenham since September

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Odobert gave City’s stand-in right back Matheus Nunes a tricky examination, displaying a willingness to get to the touchline on his left foot or cut inside on his right.

It is still early days for Odbert and Postecoglou has suggested that Spurs fans will not see him at his best again until next season.

But this was a bright return to the side, suggesting the summer signing can make an impact for Spurs over the remaining of this campaign, too.

But Tel struggles again

Postecoglou effectively insisted on Tuesday that it is too early to judge Tel and preached patience with the 19-year-old January signing.

The head coach is right; it is still early days for Tel, who was making just his fourth appearance for the club since joining on loan from Bayern Munich on deadline day.

But this was undoubtedly a tough evening for the teenager.

Tel struggled to make an impression against City’s back four, his only chance coming in his final act of the game, when Destiny Udogie’s pass was taking off his toe by a smart challenge.

Difficult night: Mathys Tel

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His hold up play was lacking again, while he was not able to give Spurs a focal point for crosses or direct balls from deep.

Tel is clearly promising but, at this stage of his career, he would surely benefit from playing wide in this Postecoglou team, with Dominic Solanke or Richarlison back through the middle.

With Solanke set to return from injury in seven to 10 days, Tel maybe needed at central striker in one or two more games before he gets a chance to show what he can do in a different position.

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Manchester City are back into the top-four thanks to a 1-0 win over Tottenham.

Man City, who began the night 20 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool, had dropped to fifth in the table following Chelsea’s 4-0 win over Southampton on Tuesday, but have boosted their chances of Champions League qualification with a deserved win in north London.

The main talking point ahead of kick-off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was that both Ange Postecoglou and Pep Guardiola sprung surprises with their team selections.

For Spurs, Dejan Kulusevski, Heung-min Son and Djed Spence were all named as substitutes, whilst the visitors left Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Phil Foden, Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva on the bench.

However, Guardiola was able to recall Erling Haaland after a two-game absence and the prolific striker did not need long to mark his comeback in classic fashion.

After missing an earlier chance, Haaland broke the deadlock in the 12th minute as he had the simple task of tapping the ball home following great wing play from Jeremy Doku whose cross did take a deflection before finding the Norwegian.

From there City ought to have put the game to bed. Savinho should have made it 2-0 after being picked out by Doku but despite being unmarked in the six-yard box, he skied his effort over the bar.

Meanwhile, Spurs had Guglielmo Vicario to thank as he made important saves to deny Doku and Haaland to ensure no further damage was done prior to the half-time break.

The hosts did improve in the second half and their best chance fell to Son but he was denied by a brilliant save from Ederson.

Tottenham will put their recent resurgence to the test when they host Manchester City in the Premier League tonight.

After a poor run of results that prompted talk of a relegation battle, Spurs are now looking up as since welcoming back several key players from injury they’ve won three on the bounce in the league.

A fourth straight victory will not only boost morale further, but cement a piece of English football history for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Having already beaten Man City in the reverse meeting earlier in the season and in the Carabao Cup, Spurs can become the first team ever to record three wins over both Manchester clubs in a single season.

Though, beware of the wounded animal. Pep Guardiola’s side head to the capital after suffering an early Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid before losing 2-0 at home to Liverpool.

Their aim for the remainder of the campaign is to ensure they are amongst Europe’s elite next season and a win over Spurs would be the best way to bounce back after a testing week.

Here’s everything you need to know about where to watch...

TV channel: The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 3. Coverage starts at 6.30pm GMT ahead of an 7.30pm kick-off.

Spurs see their three-game winning run in the Premier League come to an end

Best player: Guglielmo Vicario

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Dan Kilpatrick @ Dan_KP1 minute ago

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham’s mini-revival in the league came to an end as they were beaten 1-0 at home by champions Manchester City.

Erling Haaland tapped in from close range after seven minutes when Jeremy Doku’s cross deflected into his path.

Spurs had Guglielmo Vicario to thank for keeping them in the game in the first half, the goalkeeper saving from Haaland and Doku, but were much improved after the break.

Substitute Heung-min Son went closest to a leveller but his low shot was smartly parried by Ederson, while Haaland had a second goal ruled out in stoppage-time for handball.

Here’s how we rated the Spurs players…

Guglielmo Vicario 8

Kept Spurs in the game in the first half with smart saves from Haaland and Doku, and radiated confidence.

Pedro Porro 6

Repeatedly left isolated against Doku, who had him on toast in the first half. More effective going forward and made a big chance for Wilson Odobert with a fine cross.

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Archie Gray 7

Battled valiantly against Haaland and Co. and stepped out of defence confidently. His switches of play were effective.

Kevin Danso 7

Caught upfield for the City goal but Ange Postecoglou encourages his defenders to be aggressive. Went close to an equaliser with a great header from Porro’s free-kick and tested Ederson again after the break. Produced some smart pieces of defending, too.

Destiny Udogie 6

Haaland stepped in front of him for the goal and the Italian struggled to contain Savinho, who raced clear for a glorious chance at the back post. But he was much better after the break and created a great chance for Mathys Tel with his last act of the game.

Rodrigo Bentancur 7

Composed in the face of City’s press and used the ball well at the base of midfield.

Midfield battle: Rodrigo Bentancur

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Lucas Bergvall 6

Carried the ball forward with some real purpose at times and got stuck in.

James Maddison 7

Looked up for the fight – too much so, at times – and played some clever passes in the second half, as Spurs upped their game.

Brennan Johnson 6

Anonymous in the first half but more involved after the interval, including creating a couple of big chances with bursts down the wing.

Wilson Odobert 7

Had a chance at the far post from Porro’s cross. Looked very exciting at times, if a little raw.

Mathys Tel 4

Struggled to make any impression on City’s back four and particularly ineffectively at holding up the ball.

Subs

Djed Spence (Udogie 65’) 7

Made an immediate impact, creating a great chance for Pape Matar Sarr with a driving run.

Dejan Kulusevski (Tel 65’) 7

Provided Spurs with a focal point and physicality for the final half-hour but could not rescue the game from the bench.

Heung-min Son (Odobert 65’) 6

Came closest to a leveller with a first-time shot which was well saved by Ederson.

Pape Matar Sarr (Bentancur 65’) 6

Had two big chances, one which deflected wide after adding fresh legs to the midfield, and a header over the bar in stoppage-time.

Timo Werner (Maddison 82’) 6

Returned to the side after injury but his impact was limited.

Not used: Bissouma, Kinsky, Reguilon, Scarlett.

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Tottenham vs Manchester City is LIVE tonight in the pick of the midweek fixtures from the Premier League. It has been a league campaign to forget for both sides. Spurs are currently sitting in 13th place, 13 points off a Champions League qualification spot, and City are set to be dethroned as champions as they trail leaders Liverpool by a massive 20 points ahead of kick-off in north London.

Meetings between Spurs and Man City usually provide plenty of goals. Though down the years, Pep Guardiola’s team have tended to struggle in this particular fixture as they had to wait until last season to win for the first time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a result that went a long way to securing a fourth consecutive Premier League title.

However, Tottenham have beaten City twice already this season, including a 4-0 win in the reverse fixture at the Etihad Stadium in November, and can create English football history with another victory tonight. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Dan Kilpatrick at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

When Tottenham thrashed Manchester City 4-0 at the Etihad back in November, neither Archie Gray nor Lucas Bergvall had ever been named in the XI for a Premier League fixture, while Djed Spence was still waiting for his first Spurs start more than two years after joining the club.

Fast-forward to Wednesday's reverse fixture in north London and all three players are now key members of Ange Postecoglou's squad, supporting the head coach's repeated claims that Spurs would benefit over the long-term from their bleak mid-winter injury crisis.

With the club's injury list finally clearing over the past fortnight, and Kevin Danso and Mathys Tel arriving on loan in late January, Postecoglou is starting to be faced with some major selection headaches for the first time in months.

Spence actually featured at the Etihad, albeit as a 90th-minute replacement for Destiny Udogie, who appeared to have taken a knock.

It was Spence's first appearance in more than two months and it would be another three weeks before he was handed his long-awaited first Spurs start at Southampton in mid-December.

Today, there is a case that Spence is undroppable after a series of outstanding displays at right- and left-back, but it will be interesting to see how Postecoglou uses the 24-year-old, Udogie and Pedro Porro over the remainder of the campaign.

Spence's ability to play both sides means Postecoglou can rotate between them, and it will likely be Porro and Spence against City because Udogie made his first appearance in more than six weeks in the win over Ipswich on Saturday.

Neither Porro nor Udogie have ever faced serious competition for their place under Postecoglou but if the Europa League Final was tomorrow and all three full-backs were fully fit, Spence would have a compelling case to start ahead of one of them.

Brennan Johnson offered a powerful reminder of what Spurs have been missing during his recent absence with a calf problem on his return to the XI against Ipswich, twice scoring in the first half-hour with trademark finishes at the far post from Heung-min Son crosses.

It would be a biggish call to drop Johnson to the bench after such a decisive display, particularly as he has already scored with a signature finish against City this season, popping up at the back stick to meet Timo Werner's cross and make it 4-0 at the Etihad.

But he was a substitute that day and may well return to the bench on Wednesday night, allowing James Maddison to come into the midfield and Dejan Kulusevski to start on the right of the front three.

Kulusevski has tended to excel against City in a more advanced role, while Postecoglou may also reason that Johnson is so often a valuable substitute, particularly when Spurs are attacking their single-tier South Stand in the second half of matches.

Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma started in midfield with Maddison at the Etihad, their energy helping Spurs to overrun City after the visitors had survived an initial onslaught.

On Wednesday, both Sarr and Bissouma are fit and available but there is every chance that neither will start, reflecting the competition for places in Postecoglou's midfield.

At just 19, Bergvall is establishing himself as a key player for Spurs and feels hard to drop after another eye-catching display against Ipswich at the weekend, while Rodrigo Bentancur, who was suspended back in November, has seemingly moved ahead of Bissouma as Postecoglou's senior midfield option.

While the pair could easily keep their places on Wednesday, it would not be a huge surprise if either Sarr or Bissouma came in to add freshness to the side.

In time, when Spurs centre-half crisis has eased, Gray will also become an option in the middle the park, although he will be needed at the back until one of Ben Davies, Cristian Romero or Micky van de Ven is fit again.

Haaland was an unused substitute last week against Real Madrid in the Champions League and then left out of the squad completely for the defeat by Liverpool on Sunday, having failed to recover from a knee injury he picked up late on against Newcastle on February 15.

There is a quick three-day turnaround before City take on Spurs and Pep Guardiola says he will have decided on Tuesday evening if Haaland - who has been training - will be available in north London.

“Tonight, we will know it after training. I hope so but I don’t know yet,” the City boss told reporters at his pre-match press conference.

“He feels better but the last two games he could not play. We’ll see tomorrow.”

Phil Foden was used as a false nine against Liverpool but struggled, so Guardiola could be tempted to use Omar Marmoush as a striker this time if Haaland does miss out again.

John Stones is facing a lengthy spell out with a thigh injury and could require surgery, while Manuel Akanji is set to be out for two months after going under the knife himself.

Ruben Dias came off the bench against Liverpool but is likely to start in north London, with January signing Abdukodir Khusanov potentially the one to make way.

It was a quiet afternoon for Kevin De Bruyne, who could drop out of the side and be replaced by Bernardo Silva or Ilkay Gundogan. Rodri is a long-term absentee, while Oscar Bobb is building his fitness after months out with a broken leg.

Tottenham have no fresh injury concerns for the visit of Manchester City on Wednesday.

With Ben Davies (knock), Radu Dragusin (knee), Micky van de Ven (hamstring) and Cristian Romero (thigh) ruled out, Kevin Danso and Archie Gray will continue in the heart of the Spurs defence.

Postecoglou faces a decision at full-back, with in-form Djed Spence, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie now competing for two places.

Porro was rested from the start for Saturday’s 4-1 win over Ipswich so should come back into the XI at right-back, with Spence moving to the left.

James Maddison was also benched against the Tractor Boys but could come back into midfield against City, with Dejan Kulusevski returning to the right wing.

That would leave Brennan Johnson as a substitute, despite the winger scoring twice at Portman Road.

With Dominic Solanke (knee) and Richarlison (calf) out, Mathys Tel is expected to lead the line again, while Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have been Postecoglou’s preferred picks in midfield in the last two games.

Timo Werner is available again and could be on the bench, though there is competition for places among the substitutes with Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore pushing to be included again.

Spurs looking much healthier as they look for fourth straight top-flight win against soon-to-be dethroned champions

Crisis easing: Ange Postecoglou now has more options in his Tottenham squad after injury nightmare

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Dan Kilpatrick @ Dan_KP2 minutes ago

Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Dan Kilpatrick

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Tottenham head coach Ange Postecoglou has no fresh injury concerns for the visit of Manchester City on Wednesday but is set to be without Ben Davies again.

With Radu Dragusin (knee), Micky van de Ven (hamstring) and Cristian Romero (thigh) also ruled out, Kevin Danso and Archie Gray will continue in the heart of the Spurs defence.

Postecoglou faces a decision at full-back, with in-form Djed Spence, Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie now competing for two places.

Porro was rested from the start for Saturday’s 4-1 win over Ipswich so could come back into the XI at right-back, with Spence moving to the left.

James Maddison was also benched against the Tractor Boys but could come back into midfield against City, with Dejan Kulusevski returning to the right wing.

That would leave Brennan Johnson as a substitute, despite the winger scoring twice at Portman Road.

With Dominic Solanke (knee) and Richarlison (calf) out, Mathys Tel is expected to lead the line again, while Lucas Bergvall and Rodrigo Bentancur have been Postecoglou’s preferred picks in midfield in the last two games.

Timo Werner is available again and could be on the bench, though there is competition for places among the substitutes with Wilson Odobert and Mikey Moore pushing to be included again.

Predicted Tottenham XI (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Danso, Gray, Spence; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Son, Tel

Injured: Romero, Van de Ven, Solanke, Richarlison, Dragusin, Davies

Time and date: 7:30pm GMT on Wednesday February 26, 2025

Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

How to watch: TNT Sports

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