Cristian Stellini has admitted Tottenham will take into account a number of factors when deciding to start either Pape Matar Sarr or Oliver Skipp against West Ham. Injuries to Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma means one of the young duo will retain their spot in midfield after both starting in the Champions League against AC Milan on Tuesday.
Pierre Emile Hojbjerg's suspension meant that prior to the Premier League clash against Leicester one of Skipp or Sarr would be in from the start at San Siro. However, those issues in midfield got worse when Bentancur limped off with a serious knee injury at King Power Stadium.
Tottenham later confirmed the Uruguayan had ruptured his ACL and would likely miss the rest of the season. In his absence, Skipp and Sarr combined to deliver a mature midfield performance on the European stage, but a goal from Brahim Diaz means Tottenham must win in north London to advance in the competition.
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With the Premier League back, Hojbjerg is now available again which means he will come into the team and be partnered with one of Skipp or Sarr. When asked about the selection process ahead of West Ham, Stellini, back on first-team duties with Antonio Conte recovering in Italy, remained tight-lipped.
"We will take this decision based on the game," Stellini told football.london. "The details of the game will be so important and the characteristics of the game and the opponent."
Skipp and Sarr each offer different strengths and next to Hojbjerg, the more defensive out of the usual duo, they could be asked to take up slightly different roles. Skipp played alongside Hojbjerg in a midfield three for much of Jose Mourinho's tenure. Meanwhile, Sarr has impressed on multiple occasions this season.
The Senegal international was also deployed for the north London derby ahead of Skipp and minus a late selection call was picked over the Tottenham academy graduate for the FA Cup third-round clash against Portsmouth.
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