Tottenham are tonight set to be without both first-choice centre-backs for a daunting trip to Premier League champions Manchester City.
Cristian Romero (foot) and Micky van de Ven (hamstring) will both miss the trip to the Etihad Stadium for the second season running, with Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies expected to fill in.
Rodrigo Bentancur will serve the first of his seven-game domestic ban and is set to be replaced at No6 by Yves Bissouma, while James Maddison is fighting to return to the XI after slipping behind Pape Matar Sarr and Dejan Kulusevski in the pecking order in recent weeks.
Richarlison and Wilson Odobert (both hamstring) are long-term absentees and Mikey Moore remains unavailable following a virus, so Heung-min Son and Brennan Johnson are all but certain to flank Dominic Solanke in the front three.
Postecoglou has said he hopes Romero will be "right for next week" but Van de Ven is not expected to play again until "the middle of December" after pulling up in the Carabao Cup win over City last month.
Spurs drew 3-3 at the Etihad last season without the pair, with Davies and Emerson Royal deputising at the heart of a defence in an entertaining match.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-3-3): Vicario; Porro, Dragusin, Davies, Udogie; Bissouma, Kulusevski, Sarr; Johnson, Son, Solanke
Injured: Romero, Van de Ven, Richarlison, Odobert, Moore
Suspended: Bentancur
Time and date: 5:30pm GMT on Saturday November 23, 2024
Venue: Etihad Stadium, Manchester
TV channel and live stream: Sky Sports
