Tottenham Hotspur face the prospect of being without 11 first-team players for their Premier League clash with Liverpool at Anfield after their 5-2 Champions League defeat to Atletico Madrid
If it was a disappointing evening for Liverpool in the Champions League, then it was an absolute nightmare for Tottenham Hotspur, who are set to visit Anfield this Sunday in the Premier League.
Despite suffering a 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in Turkey in their round of 16 first-leg tie, Liverpool remains favorites to advance to the quarter-finals. However, for Tottenham, their journey in Europe's elite club competition appears all but over following a crushing 5-2 defeat by Atletico Madrid in Spain.
The loss marks Spurs' sixth consecutive defeat across all competitions and, as if that wasn't troubling enough, they now face the daunting prospect of being without 11 key players for their upcoming clash with the Reds.
Tottenham's woes are compounded by an injury crisis, with attackers Wilson Odobert, James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski and Mohammed Kudus already sidelined, along with midfielders Rodrigo Bentancur and Lucas Bergvall and defenders Ben Davies and Destiny Udogie.
Adding to their troubles, another defender, Micky van de Ven, will also be absent for the Liverpool match due to suspension, following his dismissal in Tottenham's 3-1 home defeat to Crystal Palace. This leaves Spurs teetering just one point above the Premier League relegation zone, facing the very real threat of relegation for the first time since the English top flight was rebranded in 1992.
Adding to the woes, team captain and centre-back Cristian Romero and midfielder Joao Palhinha are also uncertain for the upcoming match.
The pair suffered head injuries during the defeat to Atletico, leaving new manager Igor Tudor, who has yet to secure a win in his first four games at the helm of Tottenham, unable to confirm their availability due to FA concussion protocols.
He stated: "I don't know. We will see. I don't know. Also, an example of the moment. It is incredible. It is incredible. We finished the game and we see the two players and there is Micky (Van de Ven), who is out with a red card.
"Sometimes it is difficult to explain. It looks like everything is against us. Incredible things."
Another conundrum for Tudor is deciding on the starting goalkeeper for the clash against reigning Premier League champions Liverpool, following his ill-fated decision to bench first-choice Guglielmo Vicario in favour of Antonin Kinsky in the Atletico Madrid match.
Kinsky was pulled off just 17 minutes into the game after letting in four goals, two of which were direct results of his mistakes.
Tudor commented: "In my 15 years coaching, I never do that. It was necessary to preserve the guy, to preserve the team.
"Incredible situation, nothing to comment, you will see. It was, before the game, the right choice to do in the moment like we are.
"Pressure on Vicario, another competition, Toni is a very good goalkeeper. So, it was, for me, the right decision. I explained to Toni, also speaking after, that he is the right guy and a good goalkeeper. Unfortunately, it happened in this big game these mistakes.
"He was sorry. He made an excuse for the team. The team is with him. Me too. I was speaking with him, he understands the moment.
"He understands why he (had to) go out. So, as I said before, he is a very good goalkeeper. We are all together. It is not about one player, so, it has happened."
Tudor's choice to withdraw Kinsky and introduce Vicario attracted widespread condemnation from former shot-stoppers, notably Manchester United icon Peter Schmeichel, who remarked on CBS' Champions League broadcast: "He substitutes him, that is going to have ramifications for the rest of his career. He's absolutely killed his career."
On BBC commentary, ex-Tottenham goalkeeper Paul Robinson labelled Tudor's substitution of Kinsky as "confidence-destroying" and observed: "I have never seen that on a football pitch."
On TNT Sports, another former England number one, Joe Hart, expressed: "My heart is absolutely broken for him (Kinsky). He had a horrible 14 minutes, that slip and the third goal. I don't know what to say. I am just heartbroken for the lad. This Tottenham team is all over the place."
Former Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea, currently plying his trade in Serie A with Fiorentina, voiced his support for X, stating: "No-one who hasn't been a goalkeeper can understand how difficult it is to play in this position. Keep your head up and you will go again."