Tottenham Hotspur will host Atletico Madrid in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 clash as they aim to overturn a 5-2 deficit.
The first leg in Spain didn’t go as planned as a whirlwind 25-minute spell saw Igor Tudor’s side go 4-0 down thanks to goals from Marcos Llorente, Antoine Griezmann, Julian Alvarez and Robin Le Normand.
Antonin Kinsky endured a nightmare in goal for Tottenham, but even otherwise, Tudor’s side simply weren’t up to scratch despite reducing the margin through goals from Pedro Porro and Dominic Solanke.
They have a mountain to climb in the second leg but have been handed an advantage as Atletico Madrid are set to miss one of their most important players.
Jan Oblak ruled out vs Tottenham
Jan Oblak couldn’t do much to prevent Porro or Solanke’s goals, but the Slovenian goalkeeper showed his class by playing a big role in Julian Alvarez’s second goal.
He made a point-blank save to deny Richarlison and immediately set the ball upfield to free Alvarez, who finished calmly in the second half to complete his brace.
Ahead of their game against Getafe, though, Oblak suffered a muscle strain in training, due to which Juan Musso deputised for him between the sticks.
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And now, Marca report that the experienced goalkeeper won’t recover on time to face Tottenham, while his participation in Atleti’s La Liga fixture against Real Madrid on Sunday also remains in doubt.
Musso kept a clean sheet against Getafe and has a three-goal lead to protect in the tie, but it goes without saying that Oblak will be a huge miss for Simeone.
Who could return for Tottenham?
Tottenham had only 13 senior fit players available for the clash against Liverpool, but it looks like things are finally starting to look up for them on and off the pitch.
Conor Gallagher should return to face his former club, having missed the trip to Anfield due to illness.
Cristian Romero and Joao Palhinha will also be available to feature. The pair were involved in a clash of heads at the Wanda Metropolitano, which led to them missing the Liverpool game due to the Premier League’s concussion protocol.
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After his red card against Crystal Palace, Micky van de Ven was suspended for the trip to Anfield, so he is another player who will be part of the squad for the visit of Atletico Madrid.
Destiny Udogie is believed to be close to returning to full fitness, but the game against Atleti could come too soon for him. Expect Tudor to speak about Tottenham’s injury situation in detail when he addresses the media tomorrow.
