At a glance:
- Noah Okafor and Gabriel Gudmundsson injured
- Pascal Struijk doubtful to face Tottenham
- Tottenham take on Leeds United on Monday
With just three Premier League games to play, both Tottenham and Leeds United have their destiny in their own hands in the relegation battle.
With 43 points, Daniel Farke’s side are effectively safe after a brilliant run of form in recent weeks.
As for Tottenham, they are just a point above 18th-placed West Ham United, making Monday’s clash an important one.
Roberto De Zerbi has his fair share of injury concerns, which has been the case for Spurs over the course of the current campaign.
And now, it appears as if Leeds have problems of their own.
Okafor and Gudmundsson unfit to face Tottenham
Since the turn of the year, Noah Okafor has quickly become a key player for Farke.
With nine goals and an assist to his name, the striker has made quite an impression in recent weeks.
Read More: Tottenham get unlikely boost as referee for Leeds United clash is confirmed
However, he’s nursing a calf injury and will not be fit to face Tottenham.
Farke is currently sick but should be available on the touchline on Monday. And in his absence, Leeds’ assistant boss Eddie Rimmer spoke to the media yesterday as he provided an update on Okafor.
“We’ve got another one with Noah, who picked up a calf strain, so he will miss the next two games.
“We’re hopeful he’ll be available for the last game. He sustained it after the FA Cup game, in the right calf.
“In the Burnley game, he pulled the left calf. He’ll likely be out for the next two games.
Rimmer confirmed that Gabriel Gudmundsson is also unavailable, while Pascal Struijk faces a race against time to prove his fitness for the game.
“As the manager mentioned last week, Gabi will be out for this week and we’ll assess him daily,’ Riemer said.
“Pascal is not going to train today with us; he got a hip contusion and will train individually, but we hope he’ll be available.”
Rimmer praises Tottenham
De Zerbi has breathed new life into Tottenham, winning his last two Premier League games.
And Rimmer feels the North London outfit are a much more difficult team to beat now than before the Italian’s arrival.
Read More: ‘Their hope’ – Danny Murphy names the Tottenham player who can save them from relegation
“It is not for me to judge from the outside, but he has an impact on the players; they follow what he says, what he wants to do.
“He gives them confidence. You see his patterns coming through, week to week, and results help. They’re getting the confidence. It’s becoming a different Tottenham than before.”
Tottenham will look to make it three wins on the bounce, which will take them as close to safety as they’ve been in recent weeks.
