London Evening Standard

Ange Postecoglou has played down injury fears over Dejan Kulusevski after the midfielder was forced off in Tottenham's 2-0 defeat against Crystal Palace.

Kulusevski, one of three survivors from the Spurs side that started the Europa League semi-final win over Bodo/Glimt on Thursday night, was forced off inside the opening 20 minutes with a suspected knee injury following a heavy challenge from Marc Guehi.

Thoughts immediately turned to his fitness for Bilbao and the Europa League Final against Manchester United on May 21.

Kulusevski was immediately replaced by Mikey Moore with Spurs taking no risks, but Ange Postecoglou is confident the Sweden international has avoided a serious problem.

"Should be OK, just talking to him after,” the Australian said

“Medical team not too concerned with him, more of a knock than anything else."

Spurs are already without Lucas Bergvall (ankle) and James Maddison (knee) until next season, which means Kulusevski is the only fit playmaker in the squad.

The north London were able to welcome back captain Heung-min Son following a six-game absence. Though the forward, was understandably, rusty on his return to action and will need more minutes before the European final.

Tottenham slumped to a record 20th defeat in a Premier League season as Crystal Palace ran out deserving 2-0 winners thanks to Eberechi Eze’s double.

With Spurs full focused on the Europa League Final against Manchester United in 10 days time, a rotated XI were no match for Palace, who had two goals disallowed before Eze broke the deadlock with a tap-in on the stroke of half-time.

Denied Jean-Phillipe Mateta twice and Eddie Nketiah late on, but was jittery and did not inspire confidence.

Went close with a free-kick and made a great chance for Pape Matar Sarr with an excellent cross. One of the only players adding creativity to the side.

Repeatedly went walkabout, leaving wide open spaces at the back and was easily skinned by Mateta at one point. That said, he made a couple of important blocks.

Constantly had to cover for the wandering Danso and Djed Spence, leaving him stretched and short of passing options.

Repeatedly caught wildly out of position as Palace launched attack after attack down their right flank. Feels cruel to single out any player in white but he was especially shambolic.

One of Spurs’ better players in the first half but the bar was low. Hooked at half-time as Postecoglou manages minutes before the Final.

Not a natural No10 so can be forgiven for his lack of impact in the first hour. Might have done better with a back post header from Porro’s cross.

Anonymous in the first half but picked up a little after the break. Started on the winger and played the final half-hour at No10, suggesting he may be the contingency if Dejan Kulusevski is not fit for the final.

Forced off inside 20 minutes with a suspected knee injury following a heavy challenge from Marc Guehi. Spurs will now be sweating on his fitness for Bilbao.

Lacked service and was shrugged off the ball when he did get in good areas.

A brace from the in-form Eberechi Eze means Palace have completed a Premier League double over Spurs, inflicting a 20th league defeat on the north London outfit in the process.

With both teams having one eye on their respective cup finals, heavy squad rotation was expected. However, only Ange Postecoglou followed the blueprint as he made eight changes to the side that started in Norway.

One of those to keep his place was Dejan Kulusevski but he was forced after after 18 minutes and is now an injury doubt for the Europa League final.

A disjointed Spurs were very much second best throughout the first-half and it was no surprise that they fell behind when Daniel Munoz sprung the offside trap to square the ball for Eze who had a simple tap-in to score for a third Premier League game in succession.

Munoz spurned two big chances, Jean-Philippe Mateta had a effort from close range saved by Antonin Kinsky whilst Ismaila Sarr and Maxence Lacroix had goals disallowed, the former by the tightest of offside calls.

Eze did double Palace’s lead early in the second half with a move that he started and finished.

Playing a brilliant pass with the outside of his right boot to Sarr, he carried on his run to get on the end of the cut back to side foot the ball into the back of the net for his second of the afternoon.

Spurs were able to hand minutes to captain Heung-min Son in a boost ahead of the Europa League final, though that was one of few positives as this result coupled up with West Ham’s win at Old Trafford sees them drop to 17th place in the Premier League table.

After the jubilation of Thursday night, Tottenham return to Premier League action in a London derby at home to Crystal Palace this afternoon. Spurs will be on a high after overcoming Bodo/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate to reach the Europa League final, putting them one step closer to ending a 17-year trophy drought.

A showdown at the San Mames in Bilbao with Manchester United on May 21 is the sole focus for Spurs now, Ange Postecoglou has said as much. As a result, heavy squad rotation is the case for today's fixture as eight of those who started in Norway have been wrapped in cotton wool.

The Eagles are also targeting trophy success. In six days time they face Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final, however Oliver Glasner has opted against resting too many of his key players. Adam Wharton’s absence is enforced, but Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze all start. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Dan Kilpatrick at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!

Nine of the Spurs 11 played 90 minutes on Bodo/Glimt’s artificial pitch in Thursday's semi-final decider in Norway and Postecoglou wants to ensure he players are fresh for their final against Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21.

The Spurs coach has rotated almost his entire back-five, with Pedro Porro the only one to keep his place in the team from three days ago.

Kevin Danso, Ben Davies and Djed Spence to return to the side, whilst Antonin Kinsky gets a rare run out in between the posts.

Therefore, Rodrigo Bentancur is asked to go again at No6, alongside Pape Matar Sarr and Archie Gray, while Dejan Kulusevski’s creativity will be needed at No10.

Richarlison only played an hour in Norway but does not start for a fourth game running. Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel start, with the latter set to lead the line.

Postecoglou said on Saturday that he is “half hopeful” that his captain Heung-min Son can play some part in the game after missing the trip to the Arctic Circle with a foot complaint as he faces a race against time to be fit for Bilbao.

After the jubilation of Thursday night, Tottenham return to Premier League action in a London derby at home to Crystal Palace this afternoon. Spurs will be on a high after overcoming Bodo/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate to reach the Europa League final, putting them one step closer to ending a 17-year trophy drought.

A showdown at the San Mames in Bilbao with Manchester United on May 21 is the sole focus for Spurs now, Ange Postecoglou has said as much. As a result, heavy squad rotation is the case for today's fixture as eight of those who started in Norway have been wrapped in cotton wool.

The Eagles are also targeting trophy success. In six days time they face Manchester City at Wembley in the FA Cup final, however Oliver Glasner has opted against resting too many of his key players. Adam Wharton’s absence is enforced, but Marc Guehi, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Eberechi Eze all start. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert analysis from Standard Sport’s Dan Kilpatrick at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium!

Ange Postecoglou is likely to make wholesale changes against Crystal Palace after Tottenham secured a place in the Europa League final.

Nine of the Spurs 11 played 90 minutes on Bodo/Glimt’s artificial pitch in Thursday's semi-final decider in Norway and Postecoglou wants to ensure he players are fresh for their final against Manchester United in Bilbao on May 21.

The Spurs coach is set to rotate his entire back-four, with Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero, in particular, set to be wrapped in cotton wool.

Rodrigo Bentancur may be asked to go again at No6, alongside Pape Matar Sarr, while there is a case that Dejan Kulusevski’s creativity will be needed at No10.

Richarlison only played an hour in Norway so may be fit enough to start for a fourth game running through the middle, with Wilson Odobert and Mathys Tel likely to flank the Brazilian again.

If Richarlison is not deemed ready to start again so quickly, Tel could deputise through the middle with Mikey Moore coming in on the left.

Postecoglou said on Saturday that he is “half hopeful” that his captain Heung-min Son can play some part in the game after missing the trip to the Arctic Circle with a foot complaint as he faces a race against time to be fit for Bilbao.

Tottenham and Crystal Palace will both attempt to temporarily ignore their looming appearances in major cup finals as they meet in an all-London Premier League clash today.

Currently sitting 16th and 12th respectively in the top-flight, both clubs can be forgiven for being more than a little distracted this afternoon by the more significant and meaningful challenges to come.

Spurs have endured a dismal season domestically under Ange Postecoglou, but can still end it with their first major silverware since 2008 and first European trophy for more than 40 years after booking a place in the Europa League final.

After defeating reigning Norwegian champions Bodo/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate over two legs, Tottenham are poised to meet fellow Premier League strugglers Manchester United - who brushed aside Athletic Club - in Bilbao on May 21, with the winners getting a direct route into next season’s Champions League in addition to silverware.

Palace, meanwhile, sit in a very familiar place in the league but fans are only thinking of their return to Wembley, with a stunning demolition of Aston Villa last month teeing up an FA Cup final showdown with Manchester City on May 17 and a chance at their first-ever major trophy in 120 years.

Tottenham vs Crystal Palace is not among the Premier League matches being broadcast live on television in the UK this weekend.

The game was originally supposed to take place at 3pm BST on Saturday, before being moved - along with meetings against West Ham and Aston Villa - as the result of Spurs’ continued Europa League progress.

Current league rules state that a fixture cannot be picked up for live TV coverage in its new slot if it was not due to be shown before.

Newcastle vs Chelsea remains on TV after being moved to midday on Sunday having been selected by TNT Sports and originally slated for 12:30pm on Saturday, while Sky Sports are showing Nottingham Forest vs Leicester and Liverpool vs Arsenal on Super Sunday.

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Migrants will have to learn English 'to A-Level standard' to get visa

Spurs are unbeaten in five meetings against United under head coach Ange Postecoglou and have already won three times against the Red Devils this season, but Ruben Amorim's side have more experience of big occasions.

"Everybody goes to Bilbao to win a trophy. It has been a tough season and it will only be successful if we win the Europa League and get the trophy," said Van de Ven, when asked about the final match-up.

"So they've also showed some real quality in Europe. We know it's going to be a different game, everything can happen in a final. But we're not going there with fear, of course.

“We saw how we played at home, we dominated them and we knew we could do the same here. You saw they didn't really create a lot of chances. We showed a lot of discipline. Also the Frankfurt away game [in the quarter-final second leg], we kept a clean sheet and won over there.

"Everybody had doubts when we came over here because Bodo/Glimt was doing unbelievably in their home games in Europe. So we knew from the beginning it was going to be a really tough game but we showed discipline, mentality, we did what we needed to do, we got a clean sheet and now we go to Bilbao."

"The atmosphere in the dressing room is unbelievable. We're in a European final, one game away from a trophy and I think the mentality we showed today was unbelievable.

"To be in a European final with Tottenham is a big thing for the fans and the club. For me personally, I'm really proud to be part of it."

Van de Ven's partnership with Cristian Romero was again key to Spurs' win in Norway, with the pair restricting the home side to half-chances and the Argentine setting up Solanke's opener with a header from a corner.

"Cuti's an unbelievable player," the Dutchman said. "You can see that mentality-wise. With the ball, without the ball. He knows how it is to play these types of games. You can see it in how he is, he shows so much to the rest, he helps the whole team. My partnership with Cuti we feel each other. He knows what to do, I know what to do. We back each other.

"Yeah, of course for me personally it's a tough season. I didn't play a lot of games but now I'm going to play a European final, the first final of my career. For me, unbelievable. A season with ups and downs and hopefully I can end up with more positive things."