Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou faces a team selection headache for the London derby clash with Chelsea as he looks to navigate some key injury issues.
Injuries are a problem that his counterpart, and former Spurs manager, Mauricio Pochettino will know only too well due to an injury crisis of his own at Stamford Bridge.
Ange Postecoglou will be looking for his side to bounce back from a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby last time out.
It was a crushing blow when it comes to bragging rights, but it also impacted Tottenham and their chances of a top-four finish in the Premier League this season.
The Lilywhites sit fifth in the table, seven points behind rivals Aston Villa but with two games in hand that could put them within reach of Champions League qualification.
One of those extra games is against Chelsea, offering the chance to put some pressure on the Villains while they feature in European action.
The London derby between the two sides has often brought about some feisty scenes, with plenty more expected in Thursday night’s clash.
There will be a few players missing for each team though, with injury issues starting to pile up at the back end of the campaign.
Tottenham injury latest
As many as seven players could be missing for Tottenham through injury when they travel to Stamford Bridge on Thursday night.
Former Blues striker Timo Werner is out for the season after picking up a hamstring issue in the clash with Arsenal, while Ben Davies is also expected to miss the rest of the campaign through a calf problem.
Oliver Skipp joined the injury list after picking up a knock in training, while Destiny Udogie has seen his season ended prematurely due to an issue that required surgery.
There are long-term concerns for Fraser Forster, Manor Solomon and Ryan Sessegnon, who are all expected to return for pre-season.
Chelsea injury news
Mauricio Pochettino has had far from an easy first year at Chelsea, with a project built on youth garnering inconsistent results and performances.
The former Spurs boss won’t have been helped by injury issues though, with a whole team’s worth of players sometimes missing.
That won’t garner much sympathy from Tottenham fans, naturally, though it hasn’t exactly helped the manager build consistency.
As many as 13 players could be missing for Chelsea, with several doubts heading into the clash.
