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Ange Postecoglou has revealed that Son Heung-min will play no part in Tottenham's Europa League semi-final first leg encounter against Bodo/Glimt. The Spurs captain has been suffering with a foot injury of late and last played for the team in the home draw against Eintracht Frankfurt in early April.

As a result, Son has missed out on the Premier League games against Wolves, Nottingham Forest and Liverpool, as well as the brilliant 1-0 win in Frankfurt that booked Spurs a place in the final four of the Europa League. Heading into the semi-final showdown there have been big questions over Son's potential participation in the game.

Speaking on Sunday after the 5-1 hammering at Liverpool, Postecoglou stated that the South Korean international would be "touch and go" for Thursday night. On Wednesday morning, Son was not present for Tottenham training with the rest of the Spurs squad at their Hotspur Way base.

football.london were in attendance for the first 15 minutes of the session and the experienced forward appeared to be the only player missing apart from long-term absentee Radu Dragusin. Previewing the Bodo/Glimt semi-final, Postecoglou provided clarity on Son's injury status ahead of such a pivotal match in the team's season.

He said: "Son won't feature tomorrow night. He's still separate from the group and hopefully we can get him back soon."

When asked about the fitness of his players, he added: "I think we're in a good place. Looking at the output of players we've got some good minutes into players who needed it and managed the others.

"Players like Romero and Van de Ven have missed so much of the season, it's not just about getting back but how you manage when they come back. Dom played 60 minutes, Madders 45. They're all in a good place physically."

Postecoglou will be coming up against familiar opponents in Bodo/Glimt having faced them during his time as Celtic boss. The Scottish side crashed out 5-1 on aggregate back in 2022 but he will be hoping for a different outcome come Thursday evening.

"Same manager, similar style of play," said the Australian. "When we played them with Celtic, our season had got off to a slow start but by then we were playing good football.

"The atmosphere at Celtic Park is incredible and they had just beat Roma, they won't be fazed by anything that comes tomorrow. The away game will be tricky as well, you're playing on an artificial surface in different conditions."

Ange Postecoglou and James Maddison are holding their press conferences on Wednesday afternoon ahead of the Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

Tottenham face the Norwegian side on Thursday night looking to put everything into these two semi-final legs to ensure their season ends with something special rather than disappointment. It looks like they will have to do so without captain Son Heung-min with the South Korean absent from training with the group on Wednesday morning at Hotspur Way.

Postecoglou will speak about the skipper's foot injury and when he will be back as well as Lucas Bergvall's new contract, signed this week until 2031. The Australian could also discuss the club's efforts to get their Premier League game against Aston Villa moved next month in case Tottenham do reach the Europa League final in Bilbao.

Maddison is also set to hold a press conference in front of the assembled media to discuss the big match this week, his form this season and likely that painful hit he took in the quarter-final second leg win in Frankfurt to earn the penalty that Dominic Solanke scored to send Spurs through.

Our Tottenham correspondent Alasdair Gold is among those putting the questions to Postecoglou and Maddison. Scroll down for his updates from the press conferences at Hotspur Way.

Tottenham took to the training pitches at Hotspur Way to go through their final preparations ahead of the Europa League semi-final first leg against Bodo/Glimt.

With the match against the Norwegian side the huge date on Spurs' calendar to start next month, Ange Postecoglou and his coaches put the north London club's squad through their paces in the sunshine at the Enfield training complex ahead of the first leg at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Our Spurs reporter Alasdair Gold was watching the opening stages of the session at Hotspur Way as the media were allowed to observe the first 15 minutes and here's what he saw.

No Son

The obvious first observation was the absence of Tottenham captain Son Heung-min. The South Korean star has missed the past four matches with a foot injury and a fifth game out looks likely now after he was not involved in the session, certainly in those opening 15 minutes.

Postecoglou had said that Son was back on the grass last week and was improving but then sounded less positive after Sunday's defeat at Liverpool when he said it would be touch and go over whether the skipper played any part in the first leg and more feasibly could be back for the second leg next week.

If Son is out then it will be on the vice-captains Cristian Romero and James Maddison to step up in his absence to lead the team along with goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario. Long-term absentee Radu Dragusin was the only other player missing from the session on Wednesday as even the unregistered players took part in the session.

Soaked Bassong

Before the players had come out, some of the Spurs content producing team were setting up an interview with former Tottenham defender Sebastian Bassong on the grass beside the training pitch.

However, the group had not accounted for a quick burst of the sprinklers on the grass to keep it slick in the hot temperatures. One of the sprinklers duly turned in their direction, sending water over them all, including the 38-year-old ex-Cameroon international.

We know people often play in sprinklers in the sunshine in their gardens, but this was not exactly the plan on this occasion.

Familiar pairings

Whenever footballers are asked to pair up for drills you can guarantee that, just like in the playground, all the friends immediately gravitate towards each other.

That meant that when the Spurs stars were asked to pair up for a cushioned volley drill, the usual duos emerged as James Maddison and Brennan Johnson quickly moved together along with the Swedes Lucas Bergvall and Dejan Kulusevski, Spaniards Pedro Porro and Sergio Reguilon, South Americans Cristian Romero and Rodrigo Bentancur as well as Archie Gray and one of his friendship group Ben Davies, while plenty of the French-speaking players paired up.

Scary Romero

After that drill and another where the players had to run and jump over mini-hurdles facing different directions, they formed rondos in a separate area of the training pitch.

There are always players you don't want to face in a rondo, essentially like a schoolyard piggy-in-the-middle with various rules, with Erik Lamela always striking fear in the past into his former Spurs team-mates and the need for shinpads.

One of the groups that formed on Wednesday in the Enfield heat was a fearsome one with powerful tacklers Cristian Romero, Kevin Danso, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Bergvall and the determined Dejan Kulusevski among others.

Romero is a purveyor of the sliding tackle in rondos, even with the media watching, but on this occasion he kept it clean, other than a little shove on Bentancur to let him know he was there. Nobody seemed to want to get the Argentinean in the middle but he did and won the ball back numerous times, with the fear factor no doubt playing a part.

Kulusevski was probably the most animated, going in hard but fair on Gray at one point as he looked to set the tone in the group.

No letting up on Lucas

He might have just penned a new six-year contract at Tottenham but there was no time for celebration for Bergvall as his team-mates ensured his feet were still firmly on the ground.

The 19-year-old was buzzing around the rondo with plenty of energy in the morning sun only to have Pedro Porro fire one pass straight between his legs to a team-mate on the other side.

Unusually in such a group, there were no celebrations from the Spaniard or banter sent the way of the Swede, which perhaps shows just how focused the players are on the task ahead.

Tottenham have been dealt a blow ahead of their Europa League semi-final clash against Bodo/Glimt with Son Heung-min absent from training on Wednesday morning. The Spurs captain has not featured for Ange Postecoglou's team since the quarter-final first leg win over Eintracht Frankfurt at the beginning of April due to a foot issue.

With Postecoglou speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon to preview the Bodo/Glimt semi-final, football.london were in place at the club's training base to watch the first 15 minutes of training. However, there was to be no sign of Son with the rest of the squad.

Postecoglou will provide a further update on the experienced attacker when he holds his pre-match press conference. The boss did issue the latest on his star man when speaking to BBC Sport after Sunday's 5-1 defeat at Liverpool.

"It’ll be touch and go for Thursday," he said on Son. "He’ll try hard. If [he’s not ready] for the first game we think he’ll be ready for the second game.”

Amid question marks over when exactly Son will return to action, Mathys Tel could be in line to start again on the left flank in Tottenham's front three. The January loan signing has started Spurs' last four games and now appears to be showing glimpses of his quality as he is benefiting from an increase in playing time.

Following Spurs' semi-final first leg showdown against Bodo/Glimt, the Lilywhites travel to West Ham in the Premier League on Sunday before the decisive second leg in Norway next Thursday. Crystal Palace at home are to follow after that.

Tottenham's biggest match of the 2024/25 season is almost upon us. Thursday night will see Ange Postecoglou's side take on Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals of the Europa League at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Spurs have endured such a dismal Premier League campaign but they do have the opportunity to finish the term on a positive note at least by reaching the final in Bilbao and getting their hands on the trophy. Bodo/Glimt should not be underestimated, however, after recording some notable results in Europe this campaign.

The Norwegian side do have some injury and suspension issues going into the game and that could potentially work in Spurs' favour. The Lilywhites have an injury worry themselves as it's not clear yet whether Son Heung-min will be able to play a part going on the latest update Postecoglou provided after the Liverpool defeat.

So how exactly will Tottenham line up come Thursday evening? Here are the Spurs teams our writers would select for the European encounter:

Alasdair Gold - Tottenham correspondent

It all boils down to this. Postecoglou has kept most of his players fresh for this game and those who did start on Sunday were mostly looked after with substitutions either at half-time or around the hour mark, Destiny Udogie and Lucas Bergvall aside.

Spurs need to go for it in this leg and really grab the tie by the scruff of the neck with the visitors missing a number of regular starters. The north London outfit tried to do that against Frankfurt but just couldn't get the ball into the net on more than the one occasion they managed it.

Postecoglou needs all of his creative players on the pitch and that means getting both James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski into the starting line-up. I would go with his original first choice back four, with Udogie having starred in both legs against Frankfurt and Lucas Bergvall, fresh from his new contract news, will bring the energy in the centre of the park alongside the completely rested Rodrigo Bentancur.

Up front, if Son Heung-min is available it's likely to be for a bench role after those recent weeks out. I'd go for Mathys Tel on the left again after his bright displays against Frankfurt and Kulusevski will need to be fitted back in his original right wing role.

Gold's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Tel.

Rob Guest - Football writer

Ange Postecoglou's Tottenham team should certainly have a refreshed look about it after resting a number of players for Sunday's defeat at Liverpool. The head coach elected against using Pedro Porro, Cristian Romero and Micky van de Ven on Merseyside but the trio will return to the team to face Bodo/Glimt.

Destiny Udogie, who was excellent over two legs against Eintracht Frankfurt in the previous round, will likely get the nod to join the aforementioned trio in defence despite his woes at Liverpool. In midfield, Postecoglou will go with his preferred three of Lucas Bergvall, Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison.

That means Dejan Kulusevski is likely to shift into the front three, joining Dominic Solanke and Mathys Tel in attack. Amid question marks over Son Heung-min, Tel should get the nod as the Spurs captain is unlikely to be at full fitness after last featuring at the start of the month because of a foot injury.

Guest's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Tel.

Lee Wilmot - Head of Football

Once again, the season comes down to the next two midweeks. Will it be a semi-successful season or will it be an utter disgrace?

There is very little question about who plays in the starting lineup for me. Guglielmo Vicario, despite some mistakes of late, gets the nod in goal, more down to the fact there is no other option really.

Pedro Porro returns at right-back, with Destiny Udogie my pick at left-back following a good few performances. The central defensive pair of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero make up the back five.

In midfield, Lucas Bergvall must start, alongside Rodrigo Bentancur and James Maddison, who is the best creative outlet we have.mIt's on the flanks where the big questions come.

If fit, Son Heung-min comes in for me. The captain is hugely important and his absence has been felt. Then, on the other side, I'm playing Dejan Kulusevski, with Dominic Solanke through the middle.

We have to play our strongest side and there is plenty to come off the bench if Kulusevski or Son are not fully for 90 minutes.

Wilmot's team: Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bergvall, Bentancur, Maddison; Kulusevski, Solanke, Son.

Former Tottenham star Harry Kane, who has been rumoured to make a Premier League comeback, is reportedly set to remain at Bayern Munich for another season, putting an end to any speculation.

Manchester United, one of the clubs linked with a move for the 31-year-old, are in dire need of a new striker this summer after managing only 39 goals in 34 games this season. Both Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee have had lacklustre seasons, scoring a mere 16 times combined across all competitions.

In contrast, Kane has netted an impressive 36 goals in 44 appearances for Bayern Munich so far.

In his debut season, the 31-year-old found the back of the net 44 times in 45 matches.

Earlier this year, German publication BILD reported that Kane's contract at the Allianz Arena included a release clause, potentially allowing him to depart for £67million in January.

That figure is expected to drop to £54m this summer, drawing United's attention to the situation.

However, talkSPORT now reports that sources close to the England international have indicated he is content in Germany and wants to aid Bayern in securing the Bundesliga and Champions League titles before contemplating a move.

Bayern's upcoming match against RB Leipzig could see Vincent Kompany's side clinch the Bundesliga title, providing Kane with the first silverware of his career.

However, he will not participate after receiving a fifth yellow card against Mainz.

"Crazy, crazy decision," the England striker said.

"It's kind of my story that I'll miss the Leipzig game but no worries, I'll celebrate more than anyone else."

He also expressed his frustration, noting, "I'm very disappointed that I got the yellow card. Because I also knew I already had four yellow cards. It's crazy to be suspended with five yellow cards in 34 matches.

"It's just a crazy rule. There should be a reset of yellow cards halfway through the season, like in the Premier League."

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! I n depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Former Tottenham star Eric Dier is set to make a shock move from Bayern Munich to Monaco at the end of the season, according to the latest reports.

The 31-year-old left Spurs after ten years in the summer of 2024, to join the Bundesliga giants following an initial stint on loan.

He initially spent six months at the Allianz Arena before making the move a permanent one. Dier was one of four players to leave the club last summer, alongside Ivan Perisic, Japhet Tanganga, and Ryan Sessegnon.

However, his debut season at Bayern has not gone as planned, with only 18 Bundesliga appearances so far - 13 of which have been starts.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that an agreement between Dier and Monaco has been reached and a deal is in place.

Monaco are said to have offered Dier a contract until June 2027, with the option to extend. After starting out at Sporting Clube de Portugal, the defender will move to the fifth club of his career.

Dier moved to Spurs in 2014, making an immediate impact in north London and establishing himself as a key figure in Mauricio Pochettino's squad.

He played a crucial role in helping Tottenham mount Premier League title challenges in the 2015/16 and 2016/17 seasons, although Pochettino’s side ultimately fell short both times.

Dier also shone for England at Euro 2016, scoring a memorable free-kick against Russia in the group stage, despite the Three Lions exiting in the last 16.

He remained a key player for Tottenham over the years, reaching 300 appearances against Southampton in December 2021.

The Cheltenham-born star made at least 25 appearances in each of his first nine seasons with Spurs, but Ange Postecoglou's arrival saw him fall down the pecking order, and he subsequently joined Bayern on a six-month loan.

Listen to the latest episode of Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham by clicking here! I n depth Spurs chat on your preferred podcast platform.

Bodo/Glimt are going to be without a number of key players for Thursday evening's Europa League semi-final first leg clash against Tottenham. A combination of injury and suspension has limited Kjetil Knutsen's options for the game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and it may prove vital when it comes to the outcome of the tie.

Centre-back Odin Bjørtuft was forced off with a groin issue in the second half of Bodo/Glimt's 3-0 win against KFUM in the Eliteserien on Sunday. There are also question marks over Ole Blomberg's participation in the match as the winger picked up an injury this month and is now a doubt for the Tottenham encounter.

On top of that, influential captain Patrick Berg is suspended for the first leg due to an accumulation of Europa League yellow cards, with midfield partner Hakon Evjen also ruled out for the same reason. Finally, Andreas Helmersen, who scored a vital goal in extra time against Lazio in the quarter-finals, is also banned after he was sent off at the Stadio Olimpico.

On the subject of yellow cards in the Europa League and the one-match ban that follows after three cautions and every odd-numbered booking after that, Bodo/Glimt weren't fully aware of UEFA regulations due to an administrative error. As the rules do change on completion of the quarter-finals with all yellow cards wiped out unless you have received a third yellow (fifth, seventh, etc) of the competition, the Norwegian side were wrongly of the belief that their players could receive bookings in Rome and duly get away with it.

Speaking on the An Echo of Glory podcast, Jonas Bergh-Johnsen, sports reporter of Viaplay, went into detail on Bodo/Glimt's absences and the big mistake that changed the atmosphere inside the dressing room after a triumphant quarter-final win over Lazio.

"Massively, and they're really worried about that for the first match," said Bergh-Johnsen on the absence of Berg and other players. "I think they were thinking maybe a 2-0, 3-1 defeat would be okay to go to Bodo/Glimt but now they are worried that it may be even worse.

"Patrick Berg is so instrumental to everything they do and they don't really have any proper backups. A few years back they had a young talent who was really good and could play there, but Patrick Berg is an ever-present in the team so it's really hard to get in there and hard to get any practice of playing that very vital role for the team.

"That's the biggest loss and then we have Hakon Evjen as well, which means two out of the three midfielders are out. After that big mistake they made, I cannot understand how that is possible, because they thought they were allowed to have yellow cards in Rome [vs Lazio].

"They were told by my colleague who was doing interviews post-match in the Stadio Olimpico and she told one of the players how would it be going to Tottenham without Patrick and Hakon being suspended and he was like: 'No, no, it's not like that. After the quarter-finals, we have rules where all yellow cards disappear'.

"The suspension does not disappear, that was the mistake that someone in the administration in Bodo made. You cannot get your head around that because in such a big club with a lot of people involved in all parts in sports and administration, someone should say 'hey, this does not look right'.

"If you just read the UEFA.com preview on the match you can see five players from Lazio and four players from Bodo/Glimt being in danger of missing the semi-finals if they get the yellow card. It's incredible. The atmosphere in the dressing room kind of changed after the news from Viaplay that you're going to miss a couple of your absolute key players in the first leg."

The Premier League faces a huge decision over Tottenham's fixture at Aston Villa next month as they run the risk of failing to appease all parties.

The match between Unai Emery's side and Spurs is currently set for Sunday, May 18 and if the north London outfit were to overcome Bodo/Glimt in their semi-final then that would give them just three days to recover and prepare for the Europa League final in Bilbao on May 21.

Spurs are in discussions with the Premier League about a number of alternative dates in order to allow for a larger block of days to mentally and physically prepare for a potential showpiece final. Villa are said to have opposed such a schedule change with it being their final home game of the season and a number of pre-planned family activities for their supporters which will not be possible if it was to be an evening fixture.

There are problems for the integrity of the league if the fixture remains as it is, as Ange Postecoglou is likely to name a complete shadow XI of fringe players and young players, in order to protect the team he wants to play in any potential final. While that would benefit the home side at Villa Park, it's not going to go down well with the other clubs in the top five chase.

There's a further issue if Manchester United win their semi-final against Athletic Club and Spurs progress because Ruben Amorim's side are currently set to travel to Chelsea on Friday, May 16 rather than having a weekend game. That would mean a two-day advantage over Tottenham should both teams make it to the final, meaning the Premier League would have allowed one of their teams to have an advantage over another in a major European final, which would open them up to plenty of criticism.

Our Spurs correspondents Alasdair Gold and Rob Guest discussed the decision to be made by the Premier League as well as diving into the defeat at Liverpool in the latest episode of their podcast Gold & Guest Talk Tottenham.

You can listen to the podcast by heading right here or you can watch it on YouTube by going right here.

Tottenham will be hoping for a quick resolution when it comes to their game at Aston Villa that is set for the penultimate weekend of the campaign. In the calendar to be played on Sunday, May 18, Spurs will be on course for a fixture nightmare if they are to reach the Europa League final the following week.

The game in Bilbao is set for Wednesday, May 21, meaning Spurs would have next to no time at all to prepare for what would be their biggest game in years providing of course that they beat Bodo/Glimt in the semi-finals. Keen to avoid that potential scenario playing out, Tottenham have submitted a request to the Premier League regarding the Aston Villa match.

"We should like to inform supporters that we are in discussions with the Premier League regarding a change in date to our away Premier League match against Aston Villa, currently scheduled for Sunday 18 May," read a club statement on Sunday morning. "Further information surrounding this fixture will be announced in due course."

Tottenham are understood to have suggested a number of alternative dates in order to allow for more time to prepare for a potential showpiece final. Aston Villa are said to have opposed a move, having played matches every three to four days in April due to their Champions League and FA Cup games.

Unai Emery's side are also firmly in the mix for a Champions League spot via the Premier League's top five and they will want adequate time to fully prepare for the visit of Spurs. It leaves the Premier League with a huge call to make over the fixture.

Amid the possibility of Tottenham and Manchester United possibly meeting in the Europa League final, the Red Devils could have two extra days on Ange Postecoglou's men if the fixtures remain on the same date. United's visit to Chelsea is now set to be played on Friday, May 16 as both clubs are taking part in the Women's FA Cup final on the Sunday.

If Tottenham's game remains on the date it is currently set for then all eyes will be on Postecoglou's team at Villa Park if they have a Europa League final to look forward to three days later. The Australian is already playing it safe with a number of key players ahead of their semi-final clash and his XI in the Midlands may well compromise of fringe players and youngsters in that scenario.

In December 2019, Aston Villa were involved in a Carabao Cup quarter-final tie that saw them brush aside a very young Liverpool side 5-0. As Jurgen Klopp's side were competing in the Club World Cup in Qatar at the same time, Under-23s boss Neil Critchley took charge of a side which had the average age of 19 years, six months and three days.

Current Liverpool players Caoimhin Kelleher and Harvey Elliott were part of the Liverpool starting XI that day. The Premier League would not want to see Tottenham do something similar at such a crucial point in the season because that in turn would raise questions about integrity and other things.

Teams such as Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Nottingham Forest would also have something to say if Spurs were to field a weakened team that resulted in Aston Villa picking up three crucial points that could change the complexion of the race for Champions League football. One thing for certain regarding the Villa match is that Postecoglou will do whatever he thinks is best for the club if they have an opportunity to win silverware for the first time in 17 years three days later.

Ultimately it is down to the Premier League to decide on a date for the Aston Villa vs Tottenham match and common sense must prevail. If not, it could open a whole can of worms in the process.