Tottenham Hotspur will hope to maintain their momentum when they head to Brighton & Hove Albion on Thursday evening.
Spurs coach Ange Postecoglou’s team has improved recently, winning three straight Premier League games to be within striking distance of the top four.
In addition, there hasn’t been much of a reprieve in their personnel issue. For the trip to the south coast, they will be missing two more important players.
At his pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Postecoglou said that Cristian Romero’s hamstring problem will probably keep him out of action for the next four to five weeks.
The Spurs manager is once again without his preferred center-back duo as Micky van de Ven is currently sidelined with his own hamstring problem.
Postecoglou is likely to start with a back four consisting of Pedro Porro, Emerson Royal, Ben Davies, and Destiny Udogie.
Earlier this month, Tottenham managed to draw 3-3 away to Manchester City with the support of this back line.
But there’s also a potential that one of Spurs’ summer acquisitions will finally make his debut.
Ashley Phillips has ‘every attribute’ to shine for Tottenham
Ashley Phillips, a defender for Tottenham, was acquired from Blackburn Rovers at the beginning of August for an estimated £3 million.
According to the Evening Standard, former Blackburn manager Tony Mowbray said of Phillips during his tenure at Ewood Park: “He’s 6ft 4in, he’s fast, mobile, and can pass it really well.”
“He’s calm and can use both feet. Ash is simply an amazing little child. This young man possesses all the qualities you would want in a defender, should you decide to construct one.
According to reports, Postecoglou was prepared to give the 18-year-old his debut in November, but regrettably, an injury he sustained while serving abroad prevented that.
Phillips, though, recovered from injury ahead of schedule and started on the bench in the team’s most recent victory over Everton.
In light of this, Postecoglou might try to give the player his first Lilywhites competitive game when they travel to Brighton.
