At 03:00 China Time on October 25, Tottenham Hotspur will face AZ Alkmaar in the third round of the Europa League group stage. In a pre-match interview, Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed that captain Son Heung-min will be absent.
Son Heung-min returned from a hamstring injury in Saturday’s match against West Ham United but missed Tottenham’s training session on Wednesday. Tottenham will play against Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park in the Premier League on Sunday.
Postecoglou said, “Son had a bit of soreness after the weekend, and he won’t be playing tomorrow anyway because he has been out for some time. So we will give him a rest tomorrow and see how he goes.”
Postecoglou also confirmed that Wilson Obote may return for the Alkmaar clash, having been out with a hamstring injury for over a month. Obote has resumed training, and when asked if the £25 million summer signing could feature in Thursday’s match, the Tottenham boss said, “It’s possible. We have to be a bit more careful with him because he has been out for a long time and only started training this week. His playing time will depend on how the game progresses.”
Richarlison could make his first start against Alkmaar after coming off the bench in Saturday’s 4-1 win over West Ham United. Postecoglou stated, “Richarlison did very well on the weekend. This is his second week of training, and he is ready to play.”
