Cartilage Free Captain

Why can’t we have good things? Two days after Tottenham Hotspur keeper Guglielmo Vicario put in a masterful shift, making five saves at the Etihad and helping Spurs to a 4-0 win over the four-time defending champions, we get devastating news from the club. As posted by Spurs on its website and social media channels, Vicario has undergone surgery to his ankle and will be out for an indefinite period of time.

I wish I were making this up.

So remember that little thing before halftime where Vic went down and got seen by Tottenham’s physios, and I gave him the Erik Lamela Shithouse Award because it was obviously him killing time and helping his team get to halftime with a 2-0 lead against arguably the most talented team in the Premier League? Well, I guess it wasn’t the dark arts after all.

We have no information about how long Googly Elmo will be out, so that means that the club is now in the (large, meaty) hands of Fraser Forster, a man who is big as an oak tree and just about as mobile. Brandon Austin will probably make the step up to second keeper and likely starter in the Europa League, possibly as soon as this Thursday.

Now, I’m being a little harsh — Forster has shown the ability to make quality stops in some of his appearances, but he’s way less mobile that Vic, and god help us if we ever get into a situation that calls for a penalty shootout. And this also means Tottenham will almost certainly need to be in the market for another keeper when the window opens on January 1.

This is a huge, HUGE blow to Tottenham’s ambitions this season. There’s just a huge drop-off from Vicario to all the keepers behind him, but there isn’t really anything we can do about it — Fraser Forster’s our guy from now until Vic is able to get healthy.

God. Ugh. Crap. This SUCKS.

What a match! What a win! What a performance! Tottenham Hotspur got the vibes back in calibration on Saturday at the Etihad, rolling out to a 0-4 win over the four-time defending champions and doing it with STYLE. Tottenham being Pep Guardiola’s bogey team will never not be hilarious to me, and the win puts Spurs back into sixth, just four points out of 2nd.

The season’s not over yet. This was a match that was super fun to watch. So don’t be one of those social media curmudgeons who tries to yuck your yum by bringing up the Ipswich loss or Tottenham’s inconsistencies — tell those chuckleheads to go jump in a lake. Games like this are meant to be enjoyed, so enjoy it and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.

Today’s theme comes from a thread on Bluesky where viewers were encouraged to post “photos that aren’t religious but look holy.” Naturally, I posted a Tottenham photo to the thread, and also naturally this eventually became a player ratings theme. Religious art, but make it Spurs. Seems like a fun theme after a particularly fun match.

This is another one of those themes where there are no BAD photos, just category headers. And I had more photos than categories, so I crammed them in wherever I could. Here are your Tottenham Hotspur player ratings to the theme of Spurs photos that look holy.

I’ve used this image before, but it’s so damn good. It’s practically a Caravaggio, and you can almost see the chiaroscuro.

Guglielmo Vicario (Community — 5.0): Googly Elmo had five saves, but it felt like he had about 15, most of them spectacular. Pretty good shutting out a team that had 23 shots and an xG of 2.14. AND he did some shithousery, too!

Dejan Kulusevski (Community — 5.0): James Maddison might have had two goals in the first half, but Kulusevski arguably played even better, and on the wing! His cross to Madders for the first goal was sublime, was key in the buildup in Spurs’ third goal, and probably should’ve scored himself. He is, without hyperbole, Tottenham’s best player right now.

James Maddison (Community — 5.0): Welcome back, Madders. A first half brace showed that while he was in a bit of a slump he has bags of ability. Both of his goals were very, very well taken and a lot harder than they looked on television, particularly the lofted second goal over Ederson.

Ange Postecoglou (Community — 5.0): I’m not sure any Spurs manager in the past 30 years has done more with less than Postecoglou, and this match should hopefully put to bed the zombie narrative that he’s uncompromising and never changes or tweaks his tactics. Just a masterful setup and performance.

Lucas Moura’s Tottenham legacy is... complicated, but he did give us one of the holiest moments in modern Spurs history.

Radu Dragusin (Community — 4.5): Two weeks after I basically wrote him off, Radu turned in a super solid defensive performance. He’s a good on-the-ball defender, but what impressed me the most was his long pass from the back to Deki that set up the first goal. Where’s that Internet Apology Form? I apologize, Radu — I wasn’t familiar with your game.

Ben Davies (Community — 4.5): Every time Ben Davies plays CB for Spurs I inwardly squee with terror, and every time he just goes out and puts together a super solid, non-flashy defensive performance. He’s just a GOOD reserve defender for Spurs in his old age, and I need to stop being surprised by that.

Pape Matar Sarr (Community — 4.5): An inspirational performance by Sarr who seemed to pop up all over the pitch, springing chances and making defensive stops. I don’t know if he’ll reach superstar status for Tottenham, but the things he does well for Spurs he does VERY well. If he could learn to dribble a guy or create shots he’d be a monster (there’s still time).

Maddison and Brennan — a modern-day Pietà but it’s celebratory, not sad.

Pedro Porro (Community — 4.5): Two weeks ago Spurs fans were demanding he be sold to Madrid or whoever would pay for him. Today he put in another very solid offensive performance capped by a well taken counter attack goal. A couple of minor defensive gaffes but that should take away from an overall strong match.

Destiny Udogie (Community — 4.0): Got a decent rest over the international break, which he desperately needed, and he put together one of his better matches this season.

Yves Bissouma (Community — 4.0): After picking up a yellow card inside a minute, I was very worried about Yves but he was excellent the rest of the match, making some crunching tackles and dropping deep to help out defensively. Now stay healthy.

Son Heung-Min (Community — 4.5): Ange Postecoglou’s gameplan was to focus attacks on the wings and Sonny was one of the main beneficiaries of this plan. He set up Madders’ second goal and looked dangerous the entire match; had he scored from that curling shot, he’d be five stars, easy.

Dominic Solanke (Community — 4.0): Dom’s final stat line isn’t gaudy — 90’, 1 shot, 1 assist, 0.12 xG, only 26 touches, But much like Harry Kane used to do, he dropped deep into midfield to draw out defenders and create chances. His off the ball work is so underappreciated and his unselfishness helped create multiple chances for other players in this match. His cutback pass to Porro was pure Ange-Ball.

Dele praising God, taunting the Philistines.

Brennan Johnson (Community — 4.0): It’s almost hilarious how Johnson is able to come on, barely see the ball, and still be at the back post in time to tap in an extra time goal. He truly is the Lionel Messi of Nacer Chadlis.

Timo Werner (Community — n/a): Timo really shouldn’t get a rating here based on when he came on, but watching him absolutely obliterate Kyle Walker for pace and put in a lovely ball to the back post for Johnson to tap in was just so, so fun.

Someday, Tottenham Hotspur fans. Someday.

It’s the sign of a good match that there are no Tottenham Hotspur players in this category, or any of the ones below it.

Jesus cleansing the temple.

Nope, nobody here either.

Psalms 89:50-51 — Remember, Lord, how your servant has been mocked, how I bear in my heart the taunts of all the nations, the taunts with which your enemies, LORD, have mocked, with which they have mocked every step of your anointed one.

Just filling out the categories.

David vs. Goliath, only Goliath is the good guy.

I just wanted an excuse to post this photo.

No Tottenham players were worse than losing a Champions League semifinal at home to a last-gasp final kick of the game goal, right Ajax fans?

Tom Carroll Memorial Non-Rating

What is a holy photo collection without a depiction of the Devil?

Lucas Bergvall, Djed Spence

Erik Lamela Memorial Shithouse Award

good morning!

There was a lot going in the Premier League this weekend. Tottenham Hotspur beat Man City. Rubert Amorim’s Man United drew in his first match. Liverpol are now eight points clear on top. Everton and Brentford drew 0-0. Leicester City sacked Steve Cooper.

With all that happening, I think now’s a good time to take a walk around the grounds and find the best pictures from Match Week 12:

James Maddiscon scores his first of two goals

Terrific buildup play and a terric start, leading to a terrific game on Saturday. What a performance from James Maddison!

The boys celebrate

The goal scorer (Brennan Johnson) isn’t in this pic, but the man who delivered the assist (Timo Werner) sure is!

And how good was Dejan Kulusevski?

Ange fist pump

I love it when Ange Postecoglou puts his fist in the air like that. And he had plenty reason to - Spurs won 4-0!

What a lovely weekend.

Fitzie’s track of the day: Late Autumn, by Jeff Parker

And now for your links:

Football London: Ange Postecoglou rips up Tottenham blueprint

Might’ve heard this before: Spurs eye turning point after win vs City

Press conferences are always more fun to read and digest after your team whips the butt of the defending Premier League champions at their place. That’s exactly what Tottenham Hotspur did on Saturday — James Maddison fired home a brace in the first half, and Spurs withstood what felt like a barrage of shots, adding additional goals from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson en route to a staggering 4-0 away win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.

“Cathartic” doesn’t begin to describe it as Tottenham fans. Two weeks ago Spurs were reeling after a disastrous home loss to newly-promoted Ipswich Town, followed by another two week international break that felt as interminable as it was unneccessary. Now, they’re flying after putting together one of their best and most comprehensive wins of the Premier League season.

The Etihad continues to feel like home for Spurs; no team has more wins over Pep Guardiola in his managerial career than Spurs do over Manchester City. But while past wins over City have felt flukish (for example the 1-0 home win in 2021 under Nuno Espirito Santo), this one felt like one of those games where every puzzle piece seemed to fall into place.

Ange Postecoglou was effusive with praise for his embattled team after the match, speaking to the assembled media in the post-match press conference.

“You don’t come to a place like this thinking that it’s going to be probably as convincing as it was for us in terms of just the way we handled it. I’ve said it before, City test you in every football way possible. You’ve got to do a bit of everything. You’ve got to defend, you’ve got to work hard, be disciplined and you’ve got to play football.

“I thought in all four areas we really got to a really strong level today where the players were really determined, after a really disappointing game last time and we just got back to our core beliefs as a team. Credit to the lads. I thought they were just outstanding out there today.

“We knew that in the first 10 minutes they’d come out flying, especially with the four losses they’ve had were away from home. So being at home, there’d be an energy in the stadium.

“We were going to have to weather the storm, which I thought we did fairly well and then we just grew into the game and I’m just so pleased for the players, for the belief they have in trying to play the way we want to and then you get a reward like that. I think it just furthers hopefully our progression.”

Postecoglou has, rightly or wrongly, garnered a reputation for being uncompromising with his tactics and footballing philosophy. He turned the tables on Pep Guardiola on Saturday, tweaking his lineup by moving Dejan Kulusevski to the right wing and relegating Brennan Johnson to the bench. Kulusevski has been a revelation since moving from the wing to a central role, but both he and Son were excellent on the day, with Postecoglou adjusting his tactics to emphasize playing through the wings.

“I thought it was going to be important for us. We knew we were going to have to defend at different times and with Deki and Sonny out there, I thought if we could get the ball to them really early, City are pretty aggressive with their approach. They like to defend almost man on man because they’ve got outstanding defenders who like to defend the sort of man on man, but I think with Dom there as well, we like that sort of set-up where we can the ball to them earlier.

“That’s the theory. The practice isn’t always that easy because they put pressure on you and I thought our build-up play today, at times we got a little bit stuck, especially in the second half, but we just persisted and persisted in trying to hit those areas that we needed to.

“Every time we did it in the second half, we looked really threatening and we obviously scored some good goals from it. For us again, it’s development as a team, which is about trying to within the context of our football find solutions that exist, depending on the opponent.”

One of the big concerns coming into the match was the defensive line — specifically the fact that Tottenham’s two first choice central defenders, Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven, were both out injured. Radu Dragusin and veteran Ben Davies stepped into the side and put in an outstanding defensive performance. Postecoglou was especially pleased with the way they developed Tottenham’s play from the back. Ange also noted the play of keeper Guglielmo Vicario, who made five saves on the evening, and of Yves Bissouma, who went the full 90+ minutes in defensive midfield, playing 88 of those minutes under a yellow card.

“I thought they were [both] great. You have to be against City because obviously they’ve got big Erling [Haaland] up there, but the way they deliver the ball, the areas they consistently probe, you’ve got to be focused the whole time and I thought Ben and Radu were really focused, I thought Vic behind them was really positive as well with his positioning and the way they communicated. I thought Biss was important to that.

“I think the key for us was we had to do it as a collective today. I think when you play City, you can’t rely on individuals to find solutions out there and collectively, I thought we defended really well, but credit to those two guys and not just defensively, but we had to play out from the back.

“It was the only way we were going to deliver balls to the areas we wanted to and both Ben and Radu didn’t shy away from that. It wasn’t always easy, but they consistently were looking for the ball and looking for us to play out from the back. So credit to those guys.”

But it was James Maddison who stole the show on Tuesday. Criticized for a spell of bad form that saw him benched for a few matches this fall, he roared back in a more central role, scoring Tottenham’s first two goals in the first half. Postecoglou said that Maddison has always had an incredible amount of ability in him, and it was a matter of hard work to snap him out of a small funk.

“I thought he was really good for us earlier in the season and then yeah, he had a couple of sort of flat games but I think the whole team has. I also believe there’s more in Madders and, and I think that’s on me. I always say, that’s my role as a manager.

“If I’m not getting a maximum amount out of the players, the team against Ipswich, or individuals, then it’s about sort of some self reflection of ‘well, ok, can I do something different with them?’. But the thing about Madders was he obviously didn’t go away on international duty.

“He had two weeks with us and the coaches worked really hard with him and he was working really hard at training and I could just see and said he was ready for a big game. He hasn’t sort of lowered his ambitions or his kind of levels of the kind of player he wants to be and it’s about us giving him that platform and it wasn’t just his goals today.

“I thought he was really important for us in the build-up because he was always looking for it in tight areas and, and defensively, he worked really hard. So, yeah, credit to him. Like I said, I still think he’s had a decent season, but it’s like us as a team, we want to be more than that, we want to be more than just a decent team.”

Tottenham are entering a grueling stretch of the season where they will play two matches every week until the end of December. Spurs have been the definition of inconsistent this season, but will hope to turn Saturday’s victory into some momentum. Their next match is this Thursday as they host Roma and new manager Claudio Ranieri in the Europa League, followed by hosting a surprising Fulham side December 1.

I said it on social media and I’ll say it here: Tottenham Hotspur improbably d—king over Pep Guardiola and Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium is and remains my favorite running gag in sports.

Tottenham, reeling after a home loss to Ipswich Town and enduring a long international break to lick their wounds, instead put together one of their most comprehensive wins against the defending Premier League champions. Birthday boy James Maddison had a first half brace, and additional goals came from Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson as Spurs romped to a 0-4 win, handing City their fifth consecutive loss.

It’s time to rate the players.

Rate the players from 1⁄2 to 5 stars. If the player doesn’t deserve a rating due to minutes played, DO NOT RANK. I will round the stars up/down to the nearest half-star for the player ratings later this week.

The Etihad Stadium truly is the second home for Tottenham Hotspur as the Lilywhites again prove to be the bogey team for Pep Guardiola with a 4-0 win on Saturday.

Entering the match with some doubts — as both starting center-backs were ruled out with injuries and the topsy-turvy campaign thus far left questions about what has happened — Spurs silenced everyone yet again.

Twenty seconds into the game, Yves Bissouma picked up an errant yellow card as he studded Phil Foden on a break. Feeling an uh oh as this could be the beginning of a train wreck type of contest, Spurs handled themselves in the early City window.

Seeing chances squandered by Erling Haaland with a bad first touch on his first opportunity and a marvelous save from Guglielmo Vicario on his second chance, the momentum flipped for Spurs as they got their feet under them.

The game’s first goal came on a spray ball from Radu Dragusin down the right touchline for Dejan Kulusevski to track down and bully Joško Gvardiol off the ball. Getting possession and making two dribbles on his left foot outside the City box, Kulusevski saw the streaking James Maddison down the middle of the City center backs and lifted an over the top ball for a first time volley off the left foot and into the back of the net for the birthday boy to celebrate his goal.

Maddison bagged his second goal seven minutes later on an errant pass from Gvardiol in his half for Maddison to run up on and start a quick counter from 20-yards out. Setting a one two with Son Heung-min, Maddison wrapped around Son on his run and received the ball for a quick chip over Ederson for a brace on the day.

Up 2-0 against City, Spurs endured one last wave of City attacks in the first half as Vicario came up repeatedly, even putting his body on the line with a challenge against Savinho around the keepers’ box.

In the second half, Spurs put the dagger in the chests of the reeling champions on another brilliant counterattack.

Kulusevksi won the ball deep in his team’s half and dribbled his way around a few City defenders to find an open Son. Son’s one-time flick to Kulusevski released the winger for another run down the left side of an open City defense with Dominic Solanke on the far end of the channel, ready for the delivery. Seeing a heavy, weighted pass curled around the box that stopped Solace from coming onto it and putting a shot on goal, Solanke fed the ball to a streaking Pedro Porro, who leathered the ball to the top half of the City goal for a 3-0 lead.

Knowing the scoreline wasn’t enough with City’s talent, the Spurs defense led by Vicario came up repeatedly to keep Haaland and co. off the scorer’s sheet.

Spurs added one final goal for good measure as the fresh legs of Timo Werner and Brenna Johnson combined for the fourth and final goal of the night.

Overall, the team played well, with solid displays in all three phases. This was by far the best display from Vicario in net this year as the Italian racked up five saves.

Ange Postecoglou put together a brilliant blueprint to defeat the champions. This night gave fans relief, hope, and utopia as the side is back in the Top 6.

Welcome back to Premier League football, Tottenham Hotspur fans! It’s no rest for the wicked, as we restart with a hiss and a roar against defending Premier League champions Manchester City.

City fans will likely be saying the same, however, as Spurs have had Guardiola’s number in recent years (moreso than any other side, in fact); but this is an inconsistent and injured Tottenham side, away from home, facing up against a much stronger City side than that which was toppled several weeks ago.

Anything can happen. Anything could happen. Will it be the unexpected? Is the unexpected even possible to define when these two sides meet?

COYS!

Lineups

Lineups will be posted closer to kick-off.

Live Blog

How to Watch

Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Etihad Stadium, Manchester, UK

Saturday, November 23, 2024

Time: 12:30 p.m. ET, 5:30 p.m. UK

TV: NBC, Sky Sports Premier League (UK). Check international listings at livesoccertv.com

Streaming: Peacock

Match thread rules

The match thread rules are the same as always. To any visitors coming here for the first time, welcome! We’re glad you’re here! Wipe your feet, mind the gap, and be sure to check out the other pages at this outstanding site. While you’re here, though, we have a few rules and regulations:

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Along those lines, outright abuse of players or match officials is also not allowed. It’s fine to say “wow, that was a really bad call,” but it’s NOT okay to direct copious amounts of abuse in the direction of said official over a call you did not like.

Treat other people in the match thread the way you would want someone else to treat your grandmother. Be nice. This is a community of fans, not an un-moderated message board.

NO SPIDERS!

Finally, while we don’t have a rule against profanity, please try and keep the naughty words in check. Also, language that is sexist, racist, transphobic, or homophobic in nature will be swiftly deleted and you will be immediately banned. This is an open, supportive community.

Have fun, and COYS!

Through 11 matches, the theme of the season thus far for Tottenham Hotspur is missed opportunities. With six points squandered away from winning/even positions, plus inexcusable losses to Palace and Ipswich, Spurs are all the way down in 10th instead of comfortably in the top four. The bright side is that just about everyone this season has stumbled a ton, leaving plenty still to play for.

Manchester City is not loving its start either, shockingly having lost four straight fixtures across all competitions. This includes a defeat at the new Lane last month in the League Cup; though Pep Guardiola rotated heavily in that match, he is not getting the results he wants even with his regular XI. Both clubs need this one coming out of the international break, and nothing is ever guaranteed whenever these clubs meet.

Manchester City (2nd, 23pts) vs. Tottenham Hotspur (t-10th, 16pts)

Date: Saturday, November 23

Time: 12:30 pm ET, 5:30 pm UK

Location: Etihad Stadium, Manchester

TV: NBC (USA), Sky Sports Main Event (UK)

The season started well for City, winning seven of its first nine league matches, with draws against Arsenal and Newcastle understandable. However, recent defeats to Bournemouth and Brighton are baffling, and with the loss to Sporting in the Champions League as well there are some questions starting to bubble up. Still, Guardiola has had plenty of modest autumns followed by dominant springs, so no need to fully panic quite yet.

These squads added another dramatic chapter to their head-to-head history last season, with Tottenham equalizing twice in the second half at the Etihad, including Dejan Kulusevski’s 90th-minute header. Following that was a City FA Cup win, Tottenham’s not-so-sorry defeat in London, and the aforementioned League Cup tie a few weeks ago. Who knows what this weekend will bring?

Cut right through

City’s problems seemingly revolve around missing Rodri, with the middle of the park not a strength despite decent possession numbers. The return of Kevin de Bruyne will certainly help, as will being at home, but it does feel like there might be an opportunity for Spurs to win the midfield and use the advantage here to snag a result.

Rodrigo Bentancur’s suspension makes Ange Postecoglou’s decision a little bit easier, with just four options now available for three spots. I have advocated for James Maddison to be involved, and indeed someone of his caliber could be the difference maker against top teams, but his form leaves a lot to be desired. Starting Pape Sarr — who scored against City last month — and Yves Bissouma provides good coverage for the backline while potentially allowing for some counters to be sprung. That would be my hope beside Kulusevski to begin the match.

Dr. Tottenham?

These four straight losses have featured just one goal each for City, and while the xG has not been impressively high, this is clearly an underperformance. Meanwhile, Tottenham is seemingly allergic to clean sheets and conceded twice against Ipswich before the break. With Erling Haaland getting back on the scoresheet before the break, and Radu Dragusin too shaky to feel confident, there is not a lot of comfort going up against the loaded City lineup.

Sadly, no one would be surprised if the City attack used this weekend to get back on track, bagging three-plus goals against the rocky Spurs defense. While the visitors have had trouble generating its own attack at times, I would be interested in Postecoglou taking a conservative approach and look to play more safely. There is a long way to go in this season, and Tottenham’s success is dependent on its ability to defend. Away to City is one of the hardest fixtures, and showing good defensive discipline could be a boost heading into a packed December.

Finally - FINALLY! Tottenham Hotspur football is back.

After a tortuously long international break, our boys are back in action. Let’s be real. The only interesting international development was San Marino’s victory of Liechtenstein. The rest? BORING.

But now club football is back!

And what a game to come back to: Manchester City away - ooph that’s gonna be a tough one.

For those of you who want to get your football on before Saturday’s fixture, there’s plenty of football to enjoy.

Like, how about Plymouth-Watford?

I’m not too sure about the rest, but I don’t care. Because Tottenham Hotspur football is back!

Gosh, I missed it.

Fitzie’s track of the day: I Wasn’t Gonna, by Jana Mila

And now for your links:

The Athletic ($$) on how Premier League clubs have been affected by injuries this season

Ange Postecoglou supports Bentancur appeal and says player made ‘mistake’

It’s not exactly a surprise that Tottenham Hotspur will be missing a few key players ahead of this Saturday’s match against Manchester City at the Etihad, but now we have confirmation. Speaking to Sky Sports (and as reported in the Standard), Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou confirmed today that Spurs will play against the defending Premier League champions without either of its starting central defenders, Cuti Romero and Micky van de Ven.

Romero was subbed off after aggravating an existing toe injury while playing for Argentina in World Cup qualifying during the past international break. He withdrew from the Argentina squad after the first match of the cycle and returned to North London, but it appears his recovery will come too late for the City match. Van de Ven, meanwhile, is still recovering from a pulled hamstring sustained several weeks ago, but Postecoglou said he likely won’t return to the pitch for another couple of weeks.

Ange also congratulated Romero on the birth of his daughter Lucy, who was born on Wednesday.

“Happy for Cristian and his wife on the birth of their baby girl. He is still not 100 per cent so he is a doubt definitely for the weekend. Everyone else from the internationals got through well.

“Micky is still a couple of weeks away. He is on the grass training but he is still a couple of weeks away. We’re hoping by the middle of December he is back and available to play.”

So that almost certainly means a back line of Radu Dragusin and Ben Davies against City at the Etihad. Now, to be fair that was the same pairing used to beat City in the Carabao Cup last month; perhaps lightning will strike twice? Sure would be nice (and funny). [Editor’s note: As Dan Kilpatrick kindly pointed out to me on Bluesky, Romero DID start the Cup win over City and was subbed off after 52 minutes. But that left a whole 38 minutes of Dragoo-Davies. Details, Dan. Details.]

In addition to Romero and van de Ven, Spurs are without both Richarlison and Wilson Odobert on the long-term injury list. We are still waiting on an update on Timo Werner and Mikey Moore, who both have been nursing either injuries or illness. Rodrigo Bentancur, of course, begins his seven-match FA-imposed ban with this match, pending the result of his appeal.