MX23RW : Thursday, November 21 14:09:03| >> :120:4903:4903:
[monks data]
Spurs logo
Champions League | Group Stage
Oct 12, 2022 at 8pm UK
Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
Eintracht Frankfurt logo

Spurs
3 - 2
Frankfurt

Heung-min (19', 36'), Kane (28' pen.)
Dier (12'), Bentancur (40'), Sessegnon (84')
FT(HT: 3-1)
Kamada (14'), Alidou (87')
Tuta (57'), Hasebe (60'), Smolcic (90+1')

Antonio Conte: 'We will not take stupid risks with Dejan Kulusevski'

Conte: 'We will not take stupid risks with Kulusevski'
© Reuters
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte insists that his side will not take "stupid" risks over the fitness of Dejan Kulusevski, who is still out with a hamstring injury.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has insisted that he will not take a "stupid" risk with Dejan Kulusevski after ruling the Swedish attacker out of Wednesday's Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Kulusevski has been nursing a hamstring injury since the recent international break and has missed Tottenham's last three games against Arsenal, Frankfurt and Brighton & Hove Albion.

In the Juventus loanee's absence, Tottenham have scored just two goals in their last 270 minutes of football and settled for a 0-0 draw away to Die Adler in Group D last week.

Hopes of a swift comeback for Kulusevski were raised on Tuesday morning, as the 22-year-old was pictured alongside his teammates in the open part of Tottenham's training session.

However, Conte revealed at his press conference that Kulusevski would not be ready to make his return against Frankfurt, but he should be fine for Saturday evening's Premier League clash with Everton.

Dejan Kulusevski in Tottenham Hotspur training on October 11, 2022© Reuters

"I think Deki is almost ready. Yesterday he had an MRI and it was really, really positive but at the same time, I spoke to the doctors and they said tomorrow we can have 5% of risk," football.london quotes Conte as saying.

"I don't want to take a risk because Deki is an important player for us. It would be stupid. We need patience and we've faced this situation well without him. Against Everton I think he will be able to play."

While Kulusevski is still absent for Tottenham, Conte has confirmed that Lucas Moura will be part of the squad after the 30-year-old finally managed to shake off a troublesome tendon problem.

Conte conceded earlier this month that he was "really worried" about Lucas's recovery, but the Brazilian was involved in training on Tuesday morning alongside Japhet Tanganga, who has missed all three of Spurs' fixtures this month with a fresh injury.

During the absences of Kulusevski and Moura, Conte has been working with Bryan Gil as his only backup option to his attacking trident of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Richarlison.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte on October 1, 2022© Reuters

The Spurs boss decided to drop the latter to the bench for the weekend's win over Brighton, instead experimenting with a 3-5-2 formation as Yves Bissouma was introduced into the fray from the off.

When asked about the possibility of sticking with the 3-5-2, Conte affirmed that Richarlison's withdrawal from the first XI was largely fitness-related, but a midfield-heavy formation could still be a "good option".

"We try to use the best formation but at the same time don't lose our identity. This is very important. If you do something is going to change on the pitch," Conte added.

"It can be for me a good option in the future. We'll see. We go game by game. When you play games every two to three days it's important. At Brighton it was important to give Richy a bit of rest."

Tottenham and Frankfurt are locked together on four points in Group D, with Spurs ahead on goal difference and two points adrift of group leaders Sporting Lisbon.

Kane also joined Conte for Tuesday's press conference, during which he gave an emphatic response when questioned on recent transfer links with Bayern Munich.

ID:496691:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:collect6089:No Data Analysis info

Click here for more stories about Dejan Kulusevski

Click here for more stories about Tottenham Hotspur

Game History

How you voted: Spurs vs Frankfurt

Tottenham Hotspur
82.8%
Draw
11.3%
Eintracht Frankfurt
5.8%
344
Collect / Create New Data
Share this article now:
Dejan Kulusevski in Tottenham Hotspur training on October 11, 2022
Read Next:
Tottenham handed double injury boost, Kulusevski still out
>
Sports Mole Logo
Enter your email address to subscribe to Sports Mole's free match previews newsletter! Updates are sent twice a week.
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS

League Phase

TeamPWDLPTS
1Liverpool440012
2Sporting Lisbon431010
3Brest431010
4Inter Milan431010
5Monaco431010
6Barcelona43019
7Dortmund43019
8Aston Villa43019
9Atalanta42208
10Juventus42117
11Lille42117
12Man City42117
13Arsenal42117
14B. Leverkusen42117
15Celtic42117
16Dinamo Zagreb42117
17AC Milan42026
18Bayern42026
19Benfica42026
20Feyenoord42026
21Real Madrid42026
22Brugge42026
23Atletico42026
24PSV41215
25Sparta Prague41124
26Stuttgart41124
27PSG41124
28Shakhtar41124
29Girona41033
30Salzburg41033
31Bologna40131
32RB Leipzig40040
33Sturm Graz40040
34Young Boys40040
35Red Star40040
36Slovan Bratislava40040


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!