Team news ahead of Chelsea - Cristian’s latest on the squad and Antonio
Fri 24 February 2023, 14:55|
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Stellini reports no new injury concerns going into Sunday’s huge derby against Chelsea at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (1.30pm).
Rodrigo Bentancur (knee), Yves Bissouma (ankle), Hugo Lloris (knee) and Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring) remain sidelined for the Premier League encounter.
“Everyone else is okay,” Cristian told SPURSPLAY after training on Friday. “We have the same squad that we had for the last game, with some players who have recovered from small problems.”
Cristian and the coaching team are in regular contact with Antonio, who remains in Italy as he recovers from his recent gallbladder surgery. “Antonio is getting better day by day,” added Cristian. “He’s very close to coming back, and we’re looking forward to having him back.”
Richarlison started ahead of Heung-Min Son in last weekend’s 2-0 victory against West Ham. Sonny came off the bench for Richy on 68 minutes and scored four minutes later to secure victory.
Asked in his pre-match press conference about any decision on who may start against Chelsea, Cristian replied: “The decision (against West Ham) was about the condition of the players. Richarlison had recovered 100 per cent, Sonny has a problem that he’s had for a bit of time, so sometimes a player who has a problem needs to recover and to be well prepared for the next period, and in the next period we have four games in 10 days, every game will be tough, and we will need every player at 100 per cent. If we have a player at 100 per cent and another at 70, we have to choose the 100 per cent player.”
