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Tottenham will take on Manchester City without two of their best players due to injury.

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Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed that he will be without both Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven for their visit to the Etihad later this evening. The Spurs boss also revealed that his Argentine World Cup winner had been playing despite not being fully fit.

Romero was forced off during Argentina’s defeat to Peru, but Postecoglou explained that the problem had been ongoing long before that match. He said he needed to explain to Romero why it would be better for him to take a break and recover properly ahead of the game.

Postecoglou addressed questions about Romero’s injury, saying: "To be fair, with us, he hasn’t been fully fit for probably two or three weeks. He’s soldiered on through it because that’s the kind of character he is, and we needed him. But I think when he went away with Argentina, he realized that it’s not healing the way we want it to."

"It’s a couple of separate issues, and I spoke to him and said, 'Look, just have a break. We need you 100% fit.' As much as we’d love to have him out there, I think it’s best for him to fully recover."

“He had the birth of his daughter this week as well, which is a significant event in his life. These kinds of things are important, and I think it’s crucial for him to take a step back and spend some time with his family. I think it’s the right thing for him to do."

Tottenham suffered a defeat to Ipswich before the international break and are now under pressure to get a result against the champions, who are looking to bounce back after suffering four straight defeats under Pep Guardiola.

The Lilywhites will, however, be buoyed by the fact that they have scored at least twice in each of their past three Premier League games at the Etihad Stadium. No team has ever scored multiple goals in four consecutive Premier League matches away to City.

Despite scoring more goals than any other side in the Premier League, Tottenham find themselves disappointingly in 10th place in the league table.

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A trip to an out-of-sorts Manchester City gives Tottenham Hotspur the chance to return to form in the Premier League again this weekend.

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Tottenham Hotspur will look to bounce back from two disappointing defeats against Galatasaray and Ipswich Town as the international break draws to a close but a tricky trip to Champions Manchester City is far from the easiest way to achieve a return to form.

Pep Guardiola's side are enduring somewhat of a bumpy patch at the moment. The Cityzens were beaten by AFC Bournemouth and Brighton in their last two matches before the break and are already five points behind league leaders Liverpool. Ange Postecoglou will also seek inspiration from his side's 2-1 win over Manchester City in the Carabao Cup at the end of October.

Tottenham take ‘appropriate steps’ with Van de Ven

Spurs will be without Micky van de Ven on Saturday evening as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury. Postecoglou said: "It's fair to say we're taking all the appropriate steps, and Micky will be a good judge of that as well, and where he's at.

"We're trying to treat it as it is, with advice from the medical team and the people working with him. I think there is always a natural cautiousness with someone who has a recurring problem, but at the same time, you don't want to treat him with kid gloves, because he's got to go out there and play at some point."

The Aussie coach also provided an update on Brazilian forward Richarlison, who picked up a hamstring problem against Aston Villa earlier this month, and Mikey Moore, who missed the last two fixtures with a virus.

Postecoglou said: "Richy, hopefully he'll be back in the New Year but, again, similar to Micky, we've got to be careful every step of the way. Mikey will be still be out for a little bit of time as well. He was hit pretty badly by the virus, because he's young as well, we have to be careful. He's back in the building, but we're going to take out time with him."

Cristian Romeo is also set to miss out against Manchester City but is expected to be back for Fulham next weekend. Wilson Odobert has a hamstring injury and Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended.

Manchester City dealt fresh injury blow

The hosts have an even bigger list of injury worries than Tottenham Hotspur with the absence of Mateo Kovacic a headline. The midfielder picked up an injury while away on international duty with Croatia and could face a month on the sidelines.

Guardiola said: "Kovacic is injured. It will be a while, three weeks or a month. John [Stones], Manu [Akanji] trained good yesterday. Nathan [Ake] is coming back training. We had no central defenders, now we have three. Just Ruben [Dias] is out but he is coming back soon. I don't know if they’re ready to play 90 minutes, but to see their faces in the training session is really good."

Phil Foden and Jack Grealish have also been pictured training this week as they nurse niggles. Matheus Nunes is also expected to be fit after a knock. Jeremy Doku has a quad injury having missed the Brighton game and withdrew from the Belgium squad for the break.

Guardiola recently said: "He [Doku] has some muscular problems in his quadriceps. He doesn’t feel good, he cannot run at full speed. [After the international break?] When we arrive, we will make a test, and we’ll make a selection, and we’ll see how they feel.”

Oscar Bobb has a fractured leg and is a long term absentee who won't play again until 2025, neither will Rodri with his knee injury.

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Tottenham have had some disruptions to their preparation for the game against Manchester City this weekend.

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed he has yet to speak to midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur after the Spurs player was banned for seven games following comments he made about teammate Son Heung-min while on international duty.

An independent regulatory commission gave found him guilty of using a racial slur towards captain Son Heung-min. Tottenham have decided to appeal the decision, which includes a £100,000 fine and a seven-game ban, with the club describing the punishment as "severe." The club acknowledged that Bentancur had made a mistake and deserved to be punished, but they believe the fine and suspension are excessive.

Speaking after the punishment was confirmed, Postecoglou said he had not yet spoken to his midfielder because Bentancur had not yet returned from international duty with Uruguay. He told Sky Sports: "It's disappointing because he's been great for us this year. He's one of the players whose form has gone up a level. But we understood this was kind of coming, and there was an acceptance from everyone that whatever the penalties were... I fully support the club's decision to appeal the severity of the ban, but ultimately, we know it's going to be for a certain number of games.

"We will work with Rodrigo through that and make sure that, during that time, he has all our support in the right ways, so when he is available again, he’ll be ready to go. I haven't spoken to him since the news came out. He's been away with Uruguay and isn't quite back yet. I had spoken to him in the lead-up to it. As I said at the time, he understands he made a mistake, he's prepared to accept whatever penalty comes his way, and we, as a club, are going to support him.

"The one thing that's undeniable to me, because I know him, is that he's an outstanding person. He's an unbelievable teammate, and a person of the utmost character who made a mistake. I think when that happens, our role is to support him in any way we can."

Tottenham will now look to secure all three points at the Etihad Stadium against a Manchester City side that has struggled recently but has been lifted by the news that manager Pep Guardiola has signed a new two-year contract with the club. City have lost their last four games and the Spaniard insisted he didn’t feel it was his time to leave the club come the end of the season.

"I felt I could not leave now. Maybe the four defeats was why," Guardiola told the club's website. "I think we deserve, after four defeats in a row, to bounce back and try to turn the situation. I think we deserve to be here. I am not arrogant to say, but it's the truth. We have to recover that because right now we don't have it and that's the target we have to do. This is my ninth season here. We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club. Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus."

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Tottenham defender Radu Dragusin is subject to interest from Serie A clubs Napoli and Juventus.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Radu Dragusin has been subject to transfer interest from several clubs who are considering a move for the Romanian in the January transfer window. Reports have emerged that suggest that Serie A clubs Juventus and Napoli are both looking at making a move for Dragusin in January who has been struggling to get consistent starting XI slots under Ange Postecoglou.

However, despite the fact that the player is not happy with his game time, Dragusin’s agent has revealed that he won’t leave in January despite the interest in him from Italy. According to Fabrizio Romano, he said: “He will not leave Spurs in the January window, no chance. Its an honour to be linked with Napoli and Juve, but these are just rumours. He has five years left at Tottenham. He’ll reassess the situation in June if he doesn’t get minutes”.

The latter part of his statement draws up an interesting question over whether Dragusin would be keen to make a move in the summer if he continues to play in a backup role to the likes of Micky van de Ven and Christian Romero who are Postecoglou’s first choices at centre-back.

Dragusin has made just four Premier League appearances so far this season which have come in the wake of an injury that Micky van de Ven suffered during Spurs’ 2-1 win against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup last month. The two teams meet again this weekend and as Van de Ven remains out injured, Dragusin will likely get his fifth Premier League appearance of the season at the Etihad.

Dragusin could get first team chance amid Real Madrid rumours

The defender could have a route to regular first-team football as centre-back Cristian Romero has reported interest from Real Madrid. If he was to leave, Dragusin would become the natural replacement for Romero for Postecoglou.

Real Madrid made an enquiry for Romero in the summer who Spurs were very reluctant to let go as he remains a key part of Tottenham’s plans. It is unlikely a move will be made as the Argentine admitted in Summer that he doesn’t think about other opportunities.

He told ESPN F90: “They’ve always given me a lot of support here, so I like playing here. I don’t think about other clubs or their possibilities. I know there’s a lot of talk about a possible move, but I’m calm. I still have years left in Europe and I want to see where I can go. Hopefully this year we can win a title at Tottenham.”

However, if Tottenham fail to win a trophy this season or they continue in mid-table obscurity in the Premier League then Romero could be tempted with a move to a Madrid side who could quite easily win a treble this season under Carlo Ancelotti.

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The defender has also been reportedly targeted by Real Madrid and Manchester City.

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Tottenham Hotspur defender Pedro Porro is reportedly attracting interest from Premier League rivals Manchester United with Spurs expecting bids for the full-back in the near future.

Porro has been in demand since the summer when both Real Madrid and Manchester City began showing interest in the 25-year-old. Madrid identified the defender as an alternative target to Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold who is their first choice at the position.

Whereas, Manchester City want to sign Porro as concerns are growing over the likes of Kyle Walker who is now 34 years old and so Pep Guardiola has identified the Spurs man as a replacement for the England international. The two teams will meet this weekend on Saturday at the Etihad Stadium. According to a report by Spanish outlet AS, Manchester United are considering a serious push to sign the defender who used to play under new manager Ruben Amorim at Sporting CP.

The report says that the right-back’s representatives are expecting an approach from United who could begin to play with wing-backs under Ruben Amorim who likes to play a 3-4-3 formation, which would suit Porro’s attacking ability. Porro has been at Spurs since January 2023 when he joined on loan before they made him a permanent player in July 2023 for a fee of £33m. He has since made 67 appearances for Spurs, scoring eight goals and 12 assists.

Tottenham reluctant to let Porro leave

The reports suggest that Spurs aren’t keen on selling Porro as they aim to keep him in North London for an extended period of time. He is contracted at Spurs until June 2028 and so they have set a hefty price tag of £58m for his signature.

With the January transfer window approaching, Spurs will be desperate to keep hold of Porro, but will the draw of top European clubs such as Real Madrid be enough to tempt the Spanish international away.

Much of the speculation over a move to Real Madrid depends on the La Liga club’s pursuit of Trent Alexander-Arnold who could decide to sign a new contract at Liverpool which would force Madrid to turn their attention to Porro.

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A look at the latest injury news surrounding Tottenham and Manchester City as they prepare to face off in the Premier League.

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Tottenham return from the international break with a big one this weekend, taking on Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium. It’s a huge test for Spurs, who will be disappointed with their start to the season so far, even if they are still only three points off the top four.

With City five points behind leaders Liverpool, Ange Postecoglou’s men will need to prepare for the best City here, with Pep Guardiola’s men having limped into the break with four straight defeats, including a cup defeat to Tottenham. Here we round up all the injury news surrounding both teams as they prepare for a rematch in the Premier League.

Rodri - Out

Rodri is out for the season after an ACL tear that required surgery.

Osca Bobb - Out

Guardiola has said: “Oscar, I think, January or February, he will be ready.”

Ruben Dias - Doubt

Guardiola indicated that Dias would return after the international break having picked up a muscular injury.

John Stones - Doubt

Guardiola said before the break: “John has a fasciitis splinter in the feet, and today he was not ready. I don't know if he'll be back for the next two games.”

Jeremy Doku - Doubt

The winger is also a doubt having struggled over recent weeks. “He has some muscular problems in his quadriceps,” Guardiola said. “He doesn't feel good; he cannot run at full speed. We will make a test [after the international break], and we'll see how they feel.”

Matheus Nunes - Doubt

Nunes was not deemed fit to travel for the internationals. His situation is unclear.

Manuel Akanji - Doubt

Akanji should be back, but Guardiola said before the break: “Manu said 'I felt so bad' in the training session yesterday that he couldn't move properly.”

Nathan Ake - Doubt

It remains to be seen whether this one will come too soon for Ake. “Yeah, he’s getting better. He’s still not fully fit, but he’s getting better,” Guardiola said earlier this month.

Phil Foden - Doubt

Foden has a knock but he should be in contention.

Jack Grealish - Doubt

“In 17 days, he didn’t train once,” Guardiola said before the break. “Today was the first training session, and he trained for 20 minutes. That is the reality.” Grealish could be in contention here, but his situation is murky.

Rodrigo Bentancur - Out

Bentancur is suspended for seven games, subject to appeal, for breach of FA rule E3 in relation to a media interview.

Micky van de Ven - Doubt

Postecoglou said before the break: “Yeah, it will be after the international break. Exactly when will be dictated by his progress during that time. We will have to see.” This one may come too soon for the defender.

Timo Werner - Doubt

Werner had a knock before the break but he should have recovered over the break barring any setbacks.

Mikey Moore - Fit

Moore will be fit after going into the break with illness.

Cristian Romero - Doubt

Romero is expected to return from his toe injury, but Postecoglou will confirm if everything has healed this week.

Richarlison - Out

Richarlison remains out with Postecoglou having said earlier this month: “Richy, with his hamstring, he’ll be out for a little while. We’re still getting the final information, but he’ll be out for a little while.”

Wilson Odobert - Out

A Spurs statement before the break read: “We can confirm that Wilson underwent surgery to his right hamstring yesterday. The 19-year-old will continue to be monitored by our medical team to determine when he can return to training.”

Three Bournemouth players are walking a suspension tightrope ahead of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur next month

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Three Bournemouth players are at risk of missing next month’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur as they have racked up the yellow cards in the opening months of the campaign.

Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Marcos Senesi have collected four cautions each after 11 games. The Cherries will already be without Ryan Christie against Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend after he received his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Brentford before the international break. If the former trio want to be available for selection against Spurs on December 5, they need to avoid being booked against Wolves on November 30.

As mentioned, first up for the south coast side is a home game with Brighton and a booking for any of three will result in a ban for the game at Wolves. Premier League suspension rules state that any player who accumulates five yellow cards before match week 19 will be issued with a one-game ban. 10 yellows before game-week 32 will result in a two-match ban. The suspension for five or 10 yellow cards is specific to the Premier League and cannot be served in the FA Cup or League Cup.

Spurs also have a player at risk with Micky van de Ven on four yellow cards. The Dutchman suffered a big injury scare ahead of the international break as he left the pitch in tears after Tottenham’s Carabao Cup win over Manchester City. He avoided a serious injury, however, and is expected back within the next week.

Semenyo, Kluivert and Senesi have all been key players for the Cherries so far. Semenyo has four goals and one assist in 11 games while Sensei has played nine times in the Premier League. Kluivert has started eight of the club’s 11 league fixtures and has been subbed on for the other three matches. He has two goals and two assists so far. A suspension for ay of the trio against Spurs would leave manager Andoni Iraola with a problem to solve as the Premier League rivals meet during a midweek round of games with the need for fresh legs and plenty of options paramount.

Before Spurs head to Bournemouth, they return to action against Manchester City before hosting Roma in the Europa League. They then host Fulham on Sunday, December 1. Spurs will be without Rodrigo Bentancur for the three Premier League games mentioned after he was hit with a seven-match ban by an independent Regulatory Commission for a breach of FA Rule E3, in relation to alleged racist remarks made towards teammate Son Heung-min. Bentancur denied the charge but had the sanction imposed after written reasons from the independent Regulatory Commission.

Three Bournemouth players are walking a suspension tightrope ahead of their clash with Tottenham Hotspur next month

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Three Bournemouth players are at risk of missing next month’s Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur as they have racked up the yellow cards in the opening months of the campaign.

Antoine Semenyo, Justin Kluivert and Marcos Senesi have collected four cautions each after 11 games. The Cherries will already be without Ryan Christie against Brighton and Hove Albion this weekend after he received his fifth yellow card of the campaign against Brentford before the international break. If the former trio want to be available for selection against Spurs on December 5, they need to avoid being booked against Wolves on November 30.

As mentioned, first up for the south coast side is a home game with Brighton and a booking for any of three will result in a ban for the game at Wolves. Premier League suspension rules state that any player who accumulates five yellow cards before match week 19 will be issued with a one-game ban. 10 yellows before game-week 32 will result in a two-match ban. The suspension for five or 10 yellow cards is specific to the Premier League and cannot be served in the FA Cup or League Cup.

Spurs also have a player at risk with Micky van de Ven on four yellow cards. The Dutchman suffered a big injury scare ahead of the international break as he left the pitch in tears after Tottenham’s Carabao Cup win over Manchester City. He avoided a serious injury, however, and is expected back within the next week.

Semenyo, Kluivert and Senesi have all been key players for the Cherries so far. Semenyo has four goals and one assist in 11 games while Sensei has played nine times in the Premier League. Kluivert has started eight of the club’s 11 league fixtures and has been subbed on for the other three matches. He has two goals and two assists so far. A suspension for ay of the trio against Spurs would leave manager Andoni Iraola with a problem to solve as the Premier League rivals meet during a midweek round of games with the need for fresh legs and plenty of options paramount.

Before Spurs head to Bournemouth, they return to action against Manchester City before hosting Roma in the Europa League. They then host Fulham on Sunday, December 1. Spurs will be without Rodrigo Bentancur for the three Premier League games mentioned after he was hit with a seven-match ban by an independent Regulatory Commission for a breach of FA Rule E3, in relation to alleged racist remarks made towards teammate Son Heung-min. Bentancur denied the charge but had the sanction imposed after written reasons from the independent Regulatory Commission.

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The Tottenham star is valued at £38m and his contract could be extended by one further season.

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Reports have emerged that Turkish side Galatasaray are keen on holding talks with Tottenham Hotspur star Heung-min Son whose contract expires at the end of the season with Spurs.

The South Korean midfielder has been key for Spurs again thiyear as he currently has three goals and three assists in eight Premier League appearances for Ange Postecoglou’s side who sit 10th after 11 games. Son will hope that his side’s form will improve soon as they prepare to play against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City on Saturday. However, his head could be turned by the prospect of a move to Turkey at the end of the season.

According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, Galatasaray are keen to open talks with the attacker as they are on the hunt for a winger in January to partner alongside striker Victor Osimhen who has generated transfer interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

They may decide to send in an offer to sign him over the winter rather than wait until his contract expires in the summer, but it was reported that Spurs would likely reject any bid for Son in January as they want to keep hold of him.

Could Tottenham extend Son’s contract beyond June 2025?

Spurs will likely try to extend the South Korean’s contract in some capacity, however, due to his age of 32, it is more likely that they will just trigger the one-year extension that is attached to Son’s contract. According to FourFourTwo, Spurs would much rather wait and sell Son in the summer if they are to let him leave so that they can make some form of return on him after triggering his one-year extension.

If he is to stay an extra year, it would mark Son’s 10th season in North London after he signed from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2015 for a fee of £25m. He has made over 400 appearances for Spurs, scoring 165 goals and 87 assists. If the one-year option is not triggered before January, Son is free to speak to clubs outside of England and agree a pre-contract.

Son revealed there hasn’t been talks of a new contract

The attacker spoke to the media in September denying reports that he was in talks with Spurs over a new contract. He told the Standard: “We haven't talked about anything yet, It was very clear for me, I'm very focused for this season.

"I'm just fully focused on this situation and this year, I just want to win something that everybody in this club and these players and all around deserves. That's what I'm working for. In the future, you never know what's going to happen. But I will make sure I give everything for this club. We'll see what happens. I still have a contract with the club which is the main important thing. I just want to give everything while I have my contract."

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Tottenham need a response against Manchester City after they lost to Ipswich before the break.

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Tottenham now need a big result against Manchester City in the Premier League, as they travel to the Etihad needing one of those performances where they have to be at their best. The problem with Spurs has been their inconsistent performances against what some people call "smaller teams"—they drew against Leicester, lost to Crystal Palace, Brighton, and Ipswich.

Then, the home defeat to Arsenal was also a blow, but they have had big wins as well, including victories over Aston Villa, Manchester United, and Manchester City in the League Cup, showing they can win when the stakes are incredibly high.

The international break came at the wrong time for Postecoglou, who had players leaving for international duty after the home defeat to Ipswich. Even though he stayed behind to train those who did not have international commitments, there was barely any time to respond to the defeat and analyze it properly. The good news is that he’s had two weeks to work out how he can approach the Manchester City game at the training ground.

So, ahead of the game, LondonWorld has been doing its homework and speaking to people around the club to try and find out how the Australian manager might set up against Pep Guardiola’s side, and has come up with the team we expect him to name.

Guglielmo Vicario

The Italian goalkeeper has his critics, but there’s no denying that he’s a very good shot stopper, even if he can be susceptible to corners and set pieces in general. He does the job.

Pedro Porro

The thing about Porro is that he’s an unbelievable full-back, ideal for the way Postecoglou wants to play. So much so, that when he’s not there, not many can fill in and do a decent job.

Cristian Romero

The Argentine centre-back was forced off in his final international match and will arrive in north London later to be assessed. However, he’s one of the players the manager always plays when he’s fit, so you’d expect it will take a massive blow for him not to be involved.

Radu Dragusin

He had an afternoon to forget when Spurs faced Ipswich, but with Mickey Van de Ven injured, he will step in again. Postecoglou will take his time to explain every detail to him to ensure he has a good game.

Destiny Udogie

Udogie hasn't been as electric as he was last season, but he is still the trusted left-back of the team. When he’s good, he’s very good, even though that hasn’t been the case in most games this season.

Yves Bissouma

The suspension of Rodrigo Bentancur means Bissouma gets a straight pass into the game. The manager normally prefers either the Uruguayan or the Malian at the base of his three-man midfield.

Dejan Kulusevski

The Swede has worked his way into the midfield now and is one of the most important players in the way Tottenham play.

Pape Sarr

Sarr is either a hit or miss, and the manager will deploy him as he looks for legs that can sustain the kind of press needed to wrestle the ball away from Manchester City’s players.

Son Heung-min

One of the advantages the break provided is that captain Son Heung-min had more time to recover. It’s been a stop-start season for him, but hopefully, now he can find consistency.

Brennan Johnson

His turnaround has been remarkable—from being on the outside looking in to now being almost undroppable.

Dominic Solanke

The English striker will return from international duty knowing that he must start being incredibly consistent. Against Villa, he showed how good he can be, but now he needs to do it on a consistent basis.