:focal(177x40:179x38)/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2026/03/19/image-a1ec52e5-9c7b-4ecb-bdef-9be1ec9052ca-85-2560-1440.jpeg "Spurs suffer major blow as Vicario set for surgery - TNT Sports")
Tottenham Hotspur face a nerve-shredding end to the Premier League season as they battle to avoid an extraordinary relegation. Their hopes were hit on Friday by the news that first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario is likely to be out for a month with injury. Antonin Kinsky is likely to be handed the gloves for Sunday's crucial clash with Nottingham Forest, but could be low on confidence.
Tottenham Hotspur and Italy goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario will undergo hernia surgery during the international break that will keep him out for a month, the Premier League club have announced.
The setback paves the way for a likely return for Antonin Kinsky, who endured a nightmare outing in last week's UEFA Champions League last 16 first leg against Atletico Madrid when he was substituted after just 17 minutes with Spurs already 3-0 down.
Spurs, who face Nottingham Forest in a crunch relegation showdown on Sunday, sit just one point above the drop zone with eight games remaining.
”We can confirm that Guglielmo Vicario will undergo surgery next week on a hernia,” read a club statement.
”The minor procedure for the Italy international goalkeeper has been timed to have as minimal an impact on our season as possible.
”Guglielmo will commence his rehabilitation with our medical staff immediately, and it is hoped that he could return to action within the next month.”
Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League on Wednesday night despite showing signs of improvement with their first win under interim boss Igor Tudor, beating Atleti 3-2 on the night for a 7-5 aggregate defeat.
Tudor now has achieving Premier League safety as his sole focus for the remainder of the campaign, but will be without his first-choice keeper for a crucial run of games.
In the course of the next month, Spurs face Forest, Sunderland, Brighton and Wolves – fixtures that could go a long way to determining their top-flight status.
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Vicario will hope to return in time for a difficult season run-in that sees Spurs travel to Aston Villa on May 2, before hosting Leeds, going to Chelsea and finishing with a home game against Everton.
The 29-year-old has also missed the chance to be part of the Italy squad for next week’s World Cup play-offs.
The Azzurri face Northern Ireland in a Bergamo semi-final, with either Wales or Bosnia and Herzegovina awaiting in a potential final, as the four-time winners look to return to the competition for the first time since 2014.
Vicario has been Spurs’ undisputed number one this season, making 42 appearances in all competitions and keeping 13 clean sheets, but he was at the centre of the most controversial moment of Tudor’s turbulent tenure.
The Croatian coach, who replaced the sacked Thomas Frank in January on an interim basis, made the surprising decision to start Kinsky in goal for Spurs’ last 16 first leg in Madrid on March 10.
But a string of errors from the 23-year-old saw him concede three goals in 15 minutes before being unceremoniously hooked by Tudor and replaced with Vicario.
The Czech keeper, who is yet to make a league appearance this season, will hope to banish those memories with a run of games in Vicario’s absence, having otherwise made only two EFL Cup appearances this season for the club.
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