Thomas Frank's side have Champions League football to contend with before Saturday's trip to Leeds United.
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Tottenham Hotspur will be sweating on the fitness of two key forwards ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Leeds United.
Dominic Solanke and Randal Kolo Muani both sat out Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wolves due to injury, with Richarlison the only natural No.9 on offer to manager Thomas Frank. Solanke has been out for over a month with an ankle issue while summer loan arrival Kolo Muani picked up a dead leg in training last week.
Solanke briefly returned to training earlier this month but progress from that ankle injury has been slow, with Frank describing it as ‘tricky’ situation recently. The Dane is currently preparing his side for a Tuesday-evening Champions League trip to Bodo/Glimt and oversaw an open training session on Monday, which various media outlets attended.
The Evening Standard subsequently revealed Solanke was not involved in the open training session, with the striker set to miss his side’s European fixture, while Kolo Muani was also absent and is a major doubt. The attacking pair are therefore both doubts for Spurs’ trip to Leeds, given the quick turnaround.
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Spurs fly to Norway on Monday evening before facing Bodo/Glimt at their Aspmyra Stadion at 8pm UK time Tuesday evening. Frank’s side will then head back to London with little time to rest and recover before a likely Friday night journey north, with their Premier League game against Leeds picked for the Saturday lunchtime slot.
Spurs No.9 issues clear ahead of Leeds United trip
Frank was unable to bring on any fresh legs at No.9 against Wolves, despite his side chasing an equaliser right up until Joao Palhinha’s 94th-minute effort, with Richarlison playing the full 90 minutes and finding little joy. The Spurs boss could be left with a similar predicament both on Tuesday in Norway and Saturday at Elland Road.
"I think there were enough offensive actions,” Frank said after Saturday’s draw at Molineux. “But, of course, it's [not ideal] to have one natural striker. I think Mathys (Tel) can play striker, but he's probably a striker and a winger - so, a natural striker such as Richy and Dom and Kolo Muani, it would have been nice to have that extra option. I think we could still have won the game anyway."
Yves Bissouma, Ben Davies and Kota Takai were all involved in first-team training on Monday, having all missed recent matches through injury. Only Davies could be involved at Bodo/Glimt, however, with the latter pair not named in Spurs’ 25-man Champions League squad earlier this month.
Frank will have multiple opportunities to speak with the media and provide an update on his injured players ahead of Saturday. The Spurs boss will hold pre and post-game press conferences either side of Tuesday’s Champions League clash, with another media briefing to come before the weekend.
Similarly, Daniel Farke will hold his own pre-game press conference on Thursday, with Leeds looking to have come through Saturday’s 2-2 draw against Bournemouth unscathed. The Whites were without Lucas Perri (quad) and Willy Gnonto (calf), however.