Tottenham Hotspur host Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, with both sides looking to build on their recent results and keep pace with those competing for the title
Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United go head-to-head in the Premier League with both clubs having contrasting fortunes on the injury front this week. Spurs beat FC Copenhagen 4-0 in the Champions League in midweek, while United were not in action due to not being involved in Europe this term.
Spurs' triumph was marred by a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea last weekend, while United have been riding high, unbeaten in their last four Premier League matches following a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest.
Ruben Amorim's Red Devils currently sit eighth in the table, and unlike Spurs, they're heading into Saturday's clash with almost a non-existent injury list.
Spurs, on the other hand, are facing a mounting injury crisis. Dominic Solanke, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Ben Davies, Radu Dragusin, Kota Takai and Archie Gray are all ruled out.
Lucas Bergvall is also a doubt after suffering a concussion against Chelsea. According to The FA's guidelines, he'll be allowed to undergo a graduated return to full daily activity after an initial 24 to 48 hour period of 'relative rest', reports football.london.
The 19-year-old midfielder will be permitted to train, but only 'at a rate that does not worsen existing symptoms'.
The FA's 'Graduated return to play' (GRTP) programme could see Bergvall sidelined for at least 21 days. However, their 'Enhanced care pathway' for players over 18 allows for a return to play after 12 days – or even seven, provided exceptional criteria are met.
However, there is a glimmer of hope for Spurs, as Mohammed Kudus, who was absent on Tuesday due to an injury, might be fit for this weekend's match. However, it's been suggested that Tottenham boss Thomas Frank could be forced to wait for a full update on the forward's fitness.
Meanwhile, for United, Lisandro Martinez returned to full training last week, but it's still uncertain whether he will make the squad for Saturday's match.
Martinez has been sidelined with a knee injury that he picked up in February, which forced the defender to miss the final months of last season and the opening months of the current campaign.
Amorim confirmed on Thursday that United had no fresh injury concerns going into the clash against Tottenham. "No, there’s no change [to what we are doing about injuries]," said Amorim.
"It’s one game every week and then a little bit of luck, because sometimes you have problems with players with knocks, it’s not something that is soft tissues.
"So you never know what is going to happen in the next training. If you play with intensity in training, something can happen, but I think the big reason… of course, we try to do everything well, the big reason is [we have only] one game every week.
"You can give one extra day to the players that you know could struggle in the next training. I think that is the biggest reason."